


Lost Soldiers (Book 3/3)

by TAngel96



Series: The Echo Collection [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Cliffhangers, F/M, Feels, Friendship, Loss, Love, Mutant Powers, Mutants, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 08:59:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 56,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11779782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TAngel96/pseuds/TAngel96
Summary: Retreat.That word was not in my vocabulary, but it was the only thing we could do. If not, the Avengers would be lying dead on the grass behind the White House. Loki would televise it and reign terror upon the world.We weren't going to give up. Not now. There was too much at stake. The weight of the world sat on our shoulders. We determined the future. We just needed more heroes.A trip to my childhood home had been long overdue, but I didn't want it to be because of a war. Xavier's School for the Gifted gave young mutants a place to go when they were shunned. It gave them a future. The Avengers and the X-Men had to keep that future alive by taking Loki and his team of villains down, even if it meant laying down our own lives for millions of others.Loki thinks he's won, but the war isn't over yet.





	1. Chapter 1

The early February breeze brushed through my uncovered black hair and made my eyes sting. Snow descended from the sky at a slow pace and blanketed the land. The snow mimicked the way my heart shattered and rained from the sky, slow and dreadful. The surrounding area became eerily quiet since everyone had left, which was unfortunate. The world had to bear with me as I finally snapped.

I collapsed onto Kitty and let her catch me. My emotions busted through the wall I held up for so long, oozing out of my aching heart. Tears flowed out of my eyes and soaked into her shirt. I shut my eyes tightly and just let out a scream into Kit's shoulder. It wasn't a scream of fear or anger. Just pain. What I was feeling…it was the worst pain imaginable. Loss. Grief.

Defeat.

Imaginary knives stabbed me in the chest over and over, making me cry out in agony even more. They were gone. Nothing was going to bring them back.

Kit and I fell to our knees. I squeezed her in my embrace and tried not to tug on her hair. "I'm so sorry, Kit. I'm so sorry…" I bawled. Repeating those words weren't going to do anything, but just saying it out loud felt right.

"It's not your fault, Lilly. The situation was out of our hands…" She sniffled at first, but then began to let the floodgates open. Her tears stained my shirt and her fingers sunk into my back, holding me closer than ever. Her sobs grew louder and louder, almost coming close to the volume of mine.

We stood over the graves of our friends, weeping for our loss.

 

_One Week Earlier…_

The gold and caramel colors bounced around the room and soaked in the light pouring in through the giant frosted windows. Blood stained the perfectly threaded carpet  underneath the President's beheaded corpse. The crimson blood that splattered onto the wall yesterday dried up before it could finish running down the wallpaper. An iron aroma drifted in the cold air rushing in from outside. The Hulk and Juggernaut practically ruined half of the White House, so a lot of the area was exposed to the freezing temperatures outside.

Loki of Jotunheim settled in the President's comfy chair, legs wide open for the perfect relaxing position. His gold, black, and green armor rested against him and reminded him of the events in the past few days. Beads of sweat jumped off of his pale skin as his eyebrow twitched a few times. His stringy black hair slicked back and curled up at the ends near the back of his neck. He ran his tongue along his teeth once and his lips formed a scowl. Loki's jaw rested on his chin as he stared off in thought. He wasn't Loki of Asgard anymore. Asgard was a long dead, desolate place. That sad decrepit city outgrew his needs. Jotunheim was strong enough to carry Loki's name and had a reliable source of soldiers who could actually perform the job correctly.

Win win. 

Loki's blue eyes wandered around the room and fixated on one object. The American flag lay on the floor, ripped in places and ridden in blood. That must have been the heart of this country. War kept it thriving and prosperous while innocent blood shed. Fighting for the right thing or one's beliefs always threw Loki for a loop. If it's not to conquer and take control, what is the point for shedding blood? Where are the victory spoils and celebrations to commemorate another country falling in the hands of your own? Loki believed he could build upon this wrongful country and spread his reign to cover the entire world.

Soon.

Very soon.

The Avengers must perish first.

His blood boiled at the thought of that wretched team. They weren't soldiers. They were cowards. Fearful people who couldn't save their own country. How dare the citizens call them _heroes_. It disgraced the term and its meaning. The Avengers ran from the fight. Where is their courage? Their fearlessness? Their need to avenge the fallen?

The Avengers had the _audacity_ to flee.

Loki didn't receive the satisfaction of victory. The disgraced heroes didn't die. They didn't kneel down to their newfound king.

But they will.

Ira became bored with the silence and tried to find something to entertain herself. She kicked President Obama's body and set his head on the Oval Office desk. She fixed her short black hair and looked at the head with her gray eyes. The light shined against her purple skin and grazed against the golden markings on her face. She shook slightly when a chill surged up her spine. Ira gently picked up some freshly sharpened pencils from the pencil holder and aimed them at the head.

One in the eye.

One over the head. Damn. Miss.

One in the open mouth. Score!

A pencil reflected off of the corpse's head and hit Loki in the arm. He glared at her with narrow eyes. "I have no time for your petty barbaric activities, Ira," he scowled menacingly. When her eyes widened, he turned away and continued his train of thought.

Ira threw the pencils onto the floor and bit her lip. Something was wrong with him. She could clearly see it. Was it worth it to question him? He hated being questioned. But…it might be best to try. She cleared her throat and managed to ask,  "Are you all right?" When greeted with silence, she headed towards the door. "I am going to leave you in peace."

Loki spoke up, his tone a little sincere, "No. Stay."

Ira knit her eyebrows together in confusion. Did he hit his head too hard on the way inside? Why was he acting so strange? It was easier to read the mind of a Hiolaptra, and that creature contained many more dangerous factors than Loki did! Did he, as the humans say, wake up on the wrong side of the bed? "Why do you appear so troubled? We won! Don't you feel victorious?" Ira questioned her love. She walked back towards the desk slowly, making sure not to seem too eager for answers.

Loki leaned forward, put his hands together in a pyramid formation and almost rested them against his lips. He emphasized a few choice words in a frustrated voice, "I will feel victorious when the Avengers are _dead_ on the front lawn. They aren't dead. _They retreated_. The cowards…"

Ira smiled and began speaking, "When they retaliate…"

Loki slammed a newly formed fist on the table and interrupted her, "They will lose. That's the moment in which we can celebrate our victory."

"You are looking better already." Ira admired him in his confident glory. Anger fueled him and that only made her more excited. The power, the confidence, the determination in his eyes, this all was a side of him she hadn't seen before her time on Earth. The Loki she knew on Asgard was softer, rational, and less outspoken. This Loki…well, to put it simply, he seemed much more alluring.

Loki didn't pay attention and continued rambling his thoughts out loud, "The Avengers are the only ones who have been able to outmatch me. Every other hero has either failed or not even tried. Why is that? I'm powerful. Intimidating. People fear me. Taking control almost seems _too_ easy."

"Total control isn't just the only thing we want," Ira commented softly and set her hand gently on his. They wanted to be together and start a life. That's what he used to tell her before she had to go away to her home planet. Surely he still meant it. He had to.

"Of course it is! It has been since…" Loki trailed off, contemplating when his hunger for power began. Did it begin before Odin banished Thor to Midgard? After? He couldn't remember anymore. Something pushed him in the right direction. Maybe it was because he was in Thor's shadow for so long. Maybe he felt a need to rule. Or maybe it was because having the scepter in his hand gave him the confidence and strength to do anything he ever desired. His eyes narrowed as his gaze fixated on nothing in particular. Was his memory really fleeting him right now? His mind felt fuzzy and almost numb, yet he still functioned correctly. Odd.

Ira attempted to distract him by changing the conversation. She had to drop another hint about them being together. He couldn't just want the power. She wouldn't accept that thought. "Where do you see yourself in the future? What's to come about this, my love?"

Loki's lips curled up into a deviant smile. He knew that answer like the back of his hand. He stood up and answered without missing a beat, "All heroes, dead on the streets of New York after their depressing attempt to take me out. The citizens will cower in fear as I claim the position as King of this world. Only those who are worthy will reign over the rest of the humans, making them work for their new kingdom. Fire, ruin, prosperous high end lands, this will be the start of a new era. I will plan out something new in order to become the ruler of the galaxy, even if I have to cut down humans, aliens, or _gods_. Nothing shall stand in the way of my birthright."

Ira couldn't help but to ponder his answer. She wasn't mentioned at all, and that in itself made her nervous. Was she really that dispensable? Did he not really care about her? She fought herself over whether or not she should ask him about it, but she decided against it. If his answer wasn't to her liking, she could never unhear it. Leave it to the unknown. That is the best answer. Ira smiled weakly and attempted to be supportive of his plan, "That's the best dream anyone could have."


	2. Chapter 2

Home.

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters stood in front of me, tall and bold like I remembered it to be. The tan castle-like building was big enough to keep a fully functional school and boarding for students, almost like a safe house from the outside world. Not a lot of humans were fond of mutants. The giant windows reflected the sun's rays at certain angles as we walked closer to the large front door. The grass surrounding the place was dead and currently being buried under the fresh snowfall. A cold wind swept through the air, causing the leaves on the ground to blow in the same direction.

I pulled my jacket in tighter and trudged on. All of my wounds had healed from the battle, but I was physically drained. My powers took up a lot of energy, and in addition, having to retreat from the fight weighed me down. I hated that we had to do that. The whole world probably saw us run away for the second time…we let them down, but we will come back and fight. That's all we could do.

Peter walked beside me, his eyes wandering all over the place. He kept himself occupied by focusing everywhere but his left arm, which had been torn off in battle. We had to wait until he was out of shock in order to leave for the school. Peter would _never_ forgive me if I went there without him. His lips widened into a grin and he sighed in amazement. "I can't believe I'm actually here!"

Bruce and Steve watched Peter geek out over the school. They walked behind us slowly, still tired from battle. Bruce wrapped up in a blanket, covering his loose shirt and semi-ripped pants. Steve winced in pain erupting from his left shoulder. He cradled both pieces of his red, white, and blue shield in his hands. He huffed sadly at the sight of it. Steve never thought his shield could break. All of us were smeared in dirt and blood, but didn't have enough time to clean up.

This situation was much worse than I thought. It made getting hunted down by the government look like a tiny incident, and I thought that was harsh enough. The only bright side was Peter's identity hadn't been released to the general public. Only ours were because we're idiots and display our faces and identities out in the open. Now, Loki reigned terror upon the eastern seaboard and we're gathering up reinforcements. Injuries, pain, suffering, nothing good would be in the outcome of this battle.

"Just be nice, alright? Please?" I asked tiredly as we stood in front of the door. I knocked on it a few times, the hard wood hurting my knuckles. The front door was always locked and I didn't remember where they hid the spare key. Peter put his hand on my arm and squeezed, showing his excitement.

Steve raised an eyebrow and questioned softly, "When aren't we nice?" I rolled my eyes and chose to ignore his comment. He knew they weren't always nice. The first few times we talked when we met proved that.

Scott Summers opened the door and instantly smiled. His red tinted sunglasses covered his brown eyes completely. He moved his brown hair to the side to get the few loose strands out of his line of sight. "Lil? Finally come for a visit?" His grin faltered and his light tone dropped a bit when he saw the others behind me, "And you brought guests."

I pushed passed him and headed towards the Professor's office on the right. "We need help. This is urgent."

Scott closed the door behind us and rushed to catch up to me. "No hello?" He saw the determination in my expression and he frowned. "This is about the battle you guys fought, isn't it?"

I nodded and stepped into the open office. My boots clinked against the wooden flooring and slightly echoed through the big room. A book case on the wall full of books, a chess table in the corner with one chair, a big window accompanied by plants on each side, beautifully carved wooden walls, the dark oak desk in the middle of the room, everything still looked the same. "Professor?" I called out, trying to get his attention.

Professor Charles Xavier raised his head, his blue eyes flickering up from his paper to me. His eyebrow twitched in response and creases formed on his forehead. The crevices in his gray suit flattened out when he sat up straight. His lips formed a tight line and he heavily sighed. "I feared this would happen."

My brow furrowed as I contemplated what he said. "I'm really sorry, Professor, but we need help."

"What do you mean? Did you know you we were going to visit?" Steve questioned curiously. He ignored the pain in his shoulder and leaned against a chair in front of the desk.

Xavier examined the group, taking in all of the blood, wounds, and bruising. He stayed behind his desk and resisted the urge to go to Peter after seeing his arm was missing. The Professor didn't want to bring attention to it, so he responded to Steve's question, "I watched Lilly as she fought. I felt she was in distress and had to make sure she was okay."

My hazel eyes met his as a wave of shock surged through me. "You…you watched me through Cerebro?" I paused and watched him nod slowly. He only used Cerebro when he couldn't focus on one person in particular from far away or when something important came up. Guess I made the important list. I just hope it didn't hurt him in any way. "I thought you hated using that machine."

"I do," he clarified and set his pen down. He clasped his hands together on his desk. "I don't particularly like it, but this battle put you under so much stress that I had to. I wanted to make sure you would be okay. This was a difficult task for all of you."

"You can see and feel what other people are feeling? This day just keeps getting better and better!" Peter exclaimed excitedly. I turned around to shoot him a look, but he just smiled back. The poor guy was so ecstatic about being here, and it did keep his attention off of his arm.

"I can connect on an emotional level with mutants. Telepathy is an important part of my life. I am able to do wonderful things with it, but…it also comes with a price." He moved out from behind the desk, revealing his wheelchair. Sleek black cushions lined the chair and the wheels had a giant X in the middle. "I am still limited by this…"

Frowns settled on everyone's faces and silence took over. Xavier's eyes glanced at the door as two people rushed in. One of them hugged me tightly. "I was so worried about you!" Storm exclaimed in her quiet Kenyan accent, and pulled me closer to her. Her short white hair brushed against my face and I nuzzled my head against her shoulder. Her dark skin glistened in the light and added a partial glow to the brightness of her hair. "What in the world were you thinking? Going to a battle unprepared like that?"

"We didn't know! We thought it was just Loki and Ira…" My face contorted in slight guilt. If I knew we were outnumbered, our actions would have been more planned out. I backed away and avoided her blue-eyed gaze.

"I think they handled the situation well," Logan admitted from the side. Storm shot him a short glare before moving to the side of the desk to get a better view of us. "Good to see ya alive, kid," Logan hugged me closely before backing away. His hair still spiked up at both sides and his bright eyes looked at me. He still wore button up shirts unbuttoned at the top underneath his leather jacket, blue jeans, and boots. He appeared well like he was getting enough sleep and not staying up a lot getting drunk. I'd call that an improvement.

I stood up straighter and fixed my ponytail. My nerves stood on end and made me jittery. This problem needed to be solved. I returned to the main topic of why we were here, "Loki took down our government and surprised us with extra forces on his side. We _need_ reinforcements in order to beat him. Please…we can't do this alone. We almost died out there."

"We've seen the broadcasts…this whole situation is terrible…" Storm trailed off and exhaled. She put her hands on her hips and closed her eyes for a second. Just imagining the whole scenario drove chills down her spine.

Xavier's expression change from emotionless to stern. A frown settled on his lips and his laugh lines emphasized it more. He tapped his finger on the arm of his chair in thought and immediately shook his head. "That's risking the lives of dozens of children."

"I don't want them to fight. There are more than just students on campus. We'll take any volunteers." A look of desperation settled on my face, causing my eyebrows to lift and scrunch together. "You guys are the X-Men. These children look up to you. If you let us do this alone, we'll all _die_. Then what? Then you'll be forced to step up to protect what is left. Either way, your team _will_ be fighting. I'd prefer it if we fought together."

"She's right. We're fucked either way." Logan grit his teeth together and balled his fists up when he thought about it. Villains always ruin everything. He looked at me and stepped forward, "I'll be the first to volunteer."

"Even if this does happen, how do you know you'll win?" Storm asked. Her eyes locked onto Logan and she raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Failure was not an option. Not to Storm. It never was.

"Anything is better than what we have now," Steve stated. He flinched from the pain and looked over at Peter and Bruce tiredly. His team wouldn't last another round alone. They weren't strong enough. "We were sadly outnumbered and outmatched."

I crossed my arms and nodded in agreement, "We might want to go out in a blaze of glory, but we don't want to lose the war."

Xavier stayed silent for the most part. His mind rambled on and on about the possibilities and outcomes, most of which were terrible. His lips formed a tight line and he strolled back behind his desk. "I'll think about it," Xavier declared, returning back to his paperwork.

I shook my head in dismay. This couldn't be happening. The extra numbers were the only hope we had to increase our survival. Without them, it's over. It's all over. "Professor, plea-"

Professior Xavier cut me off, "This is a big decision, Ms. Parker. I need to think this over. I'm not just signing over the X-Men to aid you. I'm signing over the teachers and staff of this facility. These children look up to them, yes, but that doesn't mean I can't think about this first. They are worth more to me alive than dead." He picked up his pen and wrote something down on the paper on top of the pile. When he didn't look up, I turned away and led the group out of the office.

"So what are we going to do now?" Bruce questioned quietly. He wrapped the blanket tighter around himself and blew the few strands of curly hair out of his pale, scruffy face. His brown eyes glanced around at all of us, shaking from the slight cold shiver that suddenly came over him.

Storm moved around us and motioned us down towards the other wing of the school. "The nurse's office is that way. You guys need to be checked on." She checked the time on her watch and exclaimed before rushing down the hall, "I have to go back to my class! Scott is the one who told me you were here and now I need to continue teaching. We will catch up later, Lilly!"

"Yeah, you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later. I…" Bruce paused for a second and yawned, "I think I need to sleep." His eyes drooped and he had to force himself to stay awake. The Hulk took a lot out of him during the battle. I wasn't surprised that he needed to sleep. Bruce would probably sleep for a whole day, if not two.

Logan nodded towards me, "I'll take him to an open room. Make sure they get patched up. Jean should be in there." Logan patted my back, and sent me a reassuring look before taking Bruce up the grand staircase towards the vacant rooms.

Everything seemed so stressful and overwhelming. I wanted the Professor's answer now, but instead I have to wait for it. It would take days to prep everyone for the fight. This had to happen _now_. I walked Steve and Peter to the infirmary, encountering some old friends along the way.

"Lilly!" Katherine Pryde screamed and ran into my arms. She hugged me tightly and pressed her head against my shoulder like I was her lifeline. "I've missed you! You said you would come visit, but it's been years!"

I grinned and leaned my head against hers. "I haven't been gone that long, Kitty…but I have been busy."

She pulled away, allowing me to take in her features. Kitty hadn't changed much since last I had seen her. Still beautiful, radiant, and young. Hazel eyes, dark brown hair, short, skinny, all just like the day I left to work for Hydra. A smile spread over her face and she brushed some of the dirt off of my face. She glanced between me and the two boys. "You guys are really brave for everything you have done. This must be really…exhausting."

"Thank you, ma'am. We will do anything for this country and the world. It's our job," Steve answered with a curt nod. He stood up straighter in the presence of new people, almost like he wanted to create a good first impression. That, or he was so used to it from when he was in the army. He probably did that every time Peggy stepped into the room.

"No way! You're Captain America and Spider-Man!" Bobby Drake called from behind Kit. He certainly grew up from our last encounter. Nice, brushed brown hair, short beard, taller, more muscular, and his brown eyes reflected a gleam of happiness. His relationship with Kitty must be going really well. He looked great. Bobby stepped towards the two heroes, giddy with joy. "You two are awesome!"

Too long. As much as I loved seeing my family again, there were other things that needed to be tended to first. The boys had to be checked out to make sure nothing was permanently damaged…well, other than the loss of Peter's arm. I cut in before the excitement got to Bobby a little too much, "Bobby, can we do this later? We just got here and they're wounded. We need to see Jean."

Bobby cleared his throat and straightened himself out. He made his voice go a bit deeper and shyly looked towards Kitty. "Yes, of course. We will…uh…catch up with you before dinner!" He grabbed Kit's hand and rushed off before he could embarrass himself.

"Your family is very…" Peter trailed off to search for the right word, "relatable." He followed me to the infirmary and continued, "I would do the exact same thing if I saw a hero I liked. Of course, I'd probably trip over my own words and everything, but at least I know that I am not alone!"

I laughed and agreed with him. Peter getting along with my family was what I wanted, but that would have to wait. More important matters were to be attended to. I opened the door and stepped into the brightly lit cream colored room. Infirmary beds lined each side, tools, drugs, and other necessities filled the cabinets on the opposite wall next to a couch and table.

Jean sat at the computer desk typing away, not a care in the world. Her long red hair was done up into a ponytail, and her green eyes were fixated on the computer screen. The white lab coat she had on over her blue shirt and jeans was a pristine white, hardly a speck of dirt on it. She looked up and immediately grimaced at Steve and Peter's appearances. "Oh my god…" She got the medkit out of one of the cabinets using her telepathic powers and glanced me over for any wounds. "We've been waiting for a visit, Lilly, but I didn't think it'd be like this."

"I'm going to be hearing this a lot today, aren't I?" I sighed and watched as she tended to Peter and his major arm wound. Jean cringed when she took the bandages off of his cauterized wound and grabbed a bottle of alcohol and antibiotics. Peter seemed to daze out and not pay attention to anything in particular. Maybe he was going into shock again. I couldn't tell, but it worried me. "I'll make it up to you guys later. I promise. Just for now, please help them. They need it."

I turned to the man sitting in the corner, sleeping. Surprise washed over me when I realized Peter hadn't noticed him yet. The red and black skin tight suit, white slits for eyes, and underneath all that, the lovable mercenary with the mouth we all hated to love and loved to hate. Wade Wilson, otherwise known as Deadpool. I poked his forehead until he woke up, and he immediately slapped my hand. "What are you doing here, Wade?"

"I was checking out the new hot nurse that was here, but she left a while ago. Can't charm someone who plays for the other team. So, I'm stuck waiting for Colossus," Wade answered with a yawn. He put his feet on the table and scowled when Jean threw his feet off using her powers. "Metal head wanted to talk about some bullshit new mission that he has for me. I'd be working for Cable if he DIDN'T FUCKING DISAPPEAR ON ME! AGAIN!" He groaned and threw his head back for dramatic effect, but quickly picked it back up and he looked at me. I could see his lips curling up underneath his mask. "So, sweet cheeks, what's up with you?"

I rolled my eyes and took in the moment of peace before my cousin noticed Wade. Peter would never let me talk to Wade, and I also didn’t want Jean to hear what I had to say. If I could recruit him, it would make my life twice as easier. Deadpool didn't work for Xavier, so getting him to say yes should be easy. All I would have to do was buy him food. Or…maybe bringing Peter along would really benefit us after all. "We have to talk later. It's important."

Wade wriggled his eyebrows and set his head on his hand as he leaned back into the couch. "Ooooo, sounds like someone wants to have fun tonight. What's the occasion? What made you change your mind from last time?"

I shook my head. That couldn't happen. Wade Wilson and I? A couple? A one night stand? Either way, I couldn't stand the thought of it. I hit his arm and whispered, "We don't talk about last time in public. Remember? Plus, I'm with someone."

Wade looked behind me and gestured towards one of the boys. Jean blocked his view of Spider-Man, so he wasn't able to go into huge fan mode. "Captain America? I don't blame you. Every one loves him, even me, and I'm Canadian. I'll talk to him later and tell him embarrassing stories about you, Lillycakes."

"Your nicknames get worse every time, Wade. Should I be surprised?" I scoffed.

"No, they get better every time. Your taste in nicknames just gets worse. Look, I-" Deadpool stopped immediately when Jean moved and revealed Spider-Man. His jaw dropped and he almost let out an unmanly squeal. He hit my leg repeatedly out of sheer excitement before getting up and standing in front of Peter.

Peter's eyes lit up in an instance and shook him out of his mental breakdown. Both of them called out simultaneously, "Oh. My. God! I have pajama pants with your face on it!"

Both backed away a bit and cleared their throats, shyly looking away in embarrassment. Did they really just admit that? The first thing they say to each other is that they own pajama merchandise with their faces on it? It was an interesting encounter, nonetheless. They went into random conversations about how they admire some event the other did or about their morals. As contradicting as some of their morals were, they still didn't think lowly of each other. People aren't marked by their past experiences, but more like the choices they make to impact those events.

I looked at Steve and he smiled at their encounter, enjoying the scene. Peter would talk about this day for years. We would never hear the end of it. I was just glad he wasn't depressed yet about his arm, but that would start soon enough once the excitement dies down.


	3. Chapter 3

The welcome the students were giving us was warm and inviting. I met with old friends, new students, and fans of the Avengers along the way. Before meeting up with Peter, I went to the tech lab and asked for help with a few things. The students' eyes widened and agreed instantaneously. They said they would give me a heads up when they were finished with the tasks.

I walked with Peter down the hall towards the library where Steve was supposed to meet us. The classes were in session, so the chestnut wooden halls were quiet and devoid of teenage life. The big windows let warm sunlight into the area and the light bounced off of some colorful art pieces that hung on the walls. The heating system turned on from its thirty minute cycle and provided heat to circulate through the vents. The cold snowy weather outside gave everyone a good reason to stay inside the toasty school. Beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling and dimly lit the place.

Peter hung his head and looked at his missing arm every once in a while. It had only been a few hours since we got here, but his mood plummeted after the excitement died down. He finally got a chance to breathe and take in what was truly lost to him. At some points during the silent walk, he sniffled, but didn't shed a tear. He started to mentally break down, so I had to keep him occupied. Peter denied that this happened and thought he would wake up from a bad dream, safe in his room in the Avengers' tower, but it never happened. He was stuck in this perpetual state of denial; the only thing I could do was give support and keep him going. If I let him be alone and isolated, that would be it. Peter wouldn't come out of his shell until he felt the need to.

I turned to my cousin and stated the first thing that came to mind, "I'm surprised you aren't worried about anyone seeing your face here."

Peter glanced away in thought about the threat. If it got out…Aunt May and everything Peter has worked hard to achieve would be under a great threat. He wouldn't let that happen. Not after what happened to Gwen. He nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah…well, they'll have to answer to you if they leak the secret. Plus, they don't know my name or the fact that I'm your cousin. Only Logan knows that."

I bit my lip in thought and realized something. My face scrunched up in confusion as I questioned, "Wait hasn't everyone already seen your face? The government has video proof of it from when they captured us."

Peter faced me while walking backwards and smiled like the dork he is. His brown eyes lit up at his explanation. "Already many steps ahead of you, Lilly. After we escaped, the first thing I did was hack in and delete the evidence when we got to a computer. Nat helped me out with the hacking part. She's definitely a pro at that. So, anyone who's seen my face can't find me guilty. As far as everyone knows, Peter Parker is at his Aunt May's house attending online college courses."

"But you have also been missing those courses," I pointed out and made a sour face. I only wanted the best for my cousin. I never intended for him to get into this mess. He should've stayed home with Aunt May while the Avengers were being hunted down. He would've laid low as Spider-Man and lived his normal life. But nooooo. He insisted on coming with us.

Peter flipped around and walked forward in the same direction I was. He ruffled his short brown hair with his hand and groaned, "Stop being technical and ruining the moment. All right? I don't need to stress about this right now."

Peter scoffed and changed the subject, "Aunt May must be worried..." He took the burn phone when I handed it to him and dialed her number. He waited patiently, listening to the ringing on the other end. He smiled brightly and laughed when he talked to her. After reassuring her everything would be okay, she rambled on for about five minutes to catch him up on things that have been going on in her life. Peter listened intently and nodded a few times, even though she couldn't see him. He hung on to her every word, almost like talking to her provided an escape from his chaotic life. When he was done, he said his goodbye and handed the phone to me.

I patted him on the back gently and sent a small grin his way. He reciprocated it and went to look around at all the paintings in the hall. I put the phone to my ear. "Hi Aunt May," I greeted in a cheery voice. "How ar-"

She cut me off in an instant, "Lilly? Why haven't you called me? I was worried sick! I saw the battle and Pete-"

I hushed her and tried to calm her down, "I'm sorry. We were busy trying to save the world." I didn't know what she expected. Wars like this never end pretty. We were lucky that only Peter had his arm ripped off. He could've been killed.

"Well please don't die in battle. I handled your Uncle Ben's death already. I don't need to go through more heartbreak," her voice cracked towards the end and she cleared her throat. She sighed heavily and sniffled.

My heart ached. I never meant for this to hurt Aunt May. She was the sweetest woman alive. That's when I realized we weren't the only ones going to miss each other if something happened. Our loved ones would weep. Pepper, Jane, Aunt May, Amelia, Coulson, the X-Men, and the infamous Nick Fury and Maria Hill, whom I haven't met, would cry. Entire cities would mourn. We weren't alone in our future sorrows.

I turned in the other direction so my voice would project down the other end of the empty hall.  "Aunt May, are you crying?" I whispered into the phone. If Peter heard me say that, he would demand the phone back in a heartbeat.

"No, dear. I'm…I'm fine." She sniffled once more and adjusted the phone, creating a scuffled sound on the other end.

I tried to divert the conversation so Aunt May could compose herself. I hated hearing her cry. It made me want to cry. I brushed my hand against the long table I leaned against and asked, "How's Amelia?"

"Amelia is adjusting. She has nightmares about wandering the battlefield in New York, and then stays silent for an hour or so. She misses her father." Aunt May stopped and tried to think of what else to say. She hummed for a second under her breath. "She's constantly asking about you and Steve."

My face drooped in sadness. Amelia must've been going through so much grief, and I'm not there to help her. Another huge downside to fighting this battle. "I miss her so much…can you put her on the phone?" Aunt May agreed and walked through her small home to find little Amelia. "Look, Aunt May, before you go, I just want to say thank you for taking care of her."

"It's not a problem, Lilly. She's such a doll." She stopped talking before she could say more to talk to Amelia for a second. She sucked in her breath for a second to try to hold back her sadness. "I love you, Lilly. Be careful out there and watch over Peter for me, okay?"

"I will Aunt May. I won't let anything happen to him. I love you too. Take care of yourself, please." God…another lie. Will these ever end, or will it become easier to lie as time goes on? My forehead creased up in worry and I closed my eyes. When Amelia put the phone to her ear, I softly said, "Hey, sweetheart."

Amelia practically screeched in excitement, "Lilly!"

Her voice sounded so shrill over the phone, but voices over lines never sounded the same as they did if you were face-to-face. I smirked and wanted to keep her talking. I had to remember what her voice sounded like. "How are you?"

"Good! I've made new friends at school and we play a lot together. My favorite is playing house. I color a lot and this boy in my class gets mad because my drawings are prettier than his. My teacher is nice and gives us cookies…" Amelia listed numerous things quickly, almost like she said it without taking a breath.

My mind spun as I tried to comprehend everything she said. _Oh my gosh, she's a talker. She must really have a lot to say._ When she finished and huffed from being out of breath, I chuckled, "That's great, Amelia. I really miss you."

Amelia whined, "I miss you so much! When are you and Steve coming home?"

"Soon, sweetie, soon."

"You pwomise?" She asked in a sweet tone. It sounded like her lip jutted out into a pouting stance and she whimpered a bit.

My stomach flipped. I didn't know what was ahead of us. All I knew was that we're going to battle to the death. Promising her would be a lie, but I didn't want to crush her little heart. "I promise."

"I love you, Lilly."

I put my hand to my heart. That was the first time she said that to me. I cherished the moment and my lip quivered. This little girl was breaking my heart. I didn't want to let her down. I wanted to make her proud. I cleared my throat and played with my black hair, "I love you too, Amelia. Give Aunt May a big hug and a kiss for me. Alright?"

She sounded sad and huffed into the phone, "Okay. Bye."

I ended the call with a heavy heart and set the phone in my pocket. My hazel eyes landed on Peter, who grimaced while looking at his wound. A sense of pain swept across his features as he felt the empty air around it, knowing he'd never have an arm again.  His face turned red with anger and disgust and focused on the snow outside. I knew not everyone went through the stages of grief in the same way, but I was worried about Peter. I tried to set my hand on his arm in comfort, but he flinched and backed away in one quick move. I peered at him worriedly until he began walking towards the library.

The library was quiet and dark. The clouds outside releasing fresh snow shadowed the sun, making the area colder than it really was. Lights on every table were dimly lit, allowing a cozy setting for students to study and research. Bookcases surrounded the outskirts of the room, and tables were placed in the middle. Other tables were scattered like islands against the walls of the room. Each table had a computer on each end and middle space set for scattering papers and notebooks. Fourty five minutes into our research, the middle of our table had so many files and papers that it looked like we were playing 52 card pick up with them.

Peter spent the whole time typing away on one computer, composing files for Venom to show at the briefing. He twitched his nose every so often and rubbed his eyes. He broke his glasses when we were on the run from the government, so he was left to strain his eyes while looking at the computer screen for so long. He was quietly angry the whole time, mumbling things to himself and occasionally wincing in pain. Losing his arm was really agitating him and I wondered what was going through his mind.

Steve flipped through the paper files on the table, attempting to clean it up from the havoc we made earlier. The X-Men kept files on every mutant or alien they came across. Steve even rang in a favor from Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. delivered key files that could help us. Coulson said he couldn't spare any men, for the organization was supposed to be a secret, and now he was the head of the Advanced Threat Containment Unit (ATCU). We thanked him for helping and he gave us some confidence before we headed off to research. Steve's forehead scrunched up as he read various parts and his eyebrows sometimes shifted down in determination. I'm sure he was thinking of ways to work around the enemy's powers and tactics.

I stressfully ran a hand through the end of my ponytail and blinked a few times when my hazel eyes were sore from staring at a computer screen. None of us have really adjusted to being back in a regular, stable setting, so the tiniest things would make us jump and look around cautiously.

Peter was the first to speak up about his findings, "I have come across Venom before." He finished typing and turned the computer screen towards us, showing a picture of a blonde man. "Our guy underneath the horrifying mask is Eddie Brock. Former reporter diagnosed with terminal adrenal cancer. Spider-Man ruined him and his big story, so he came after me, but with something new. I came across the thing and discovered it was a sentient alien symbiote. It had tried to bind with me and control me with unsatisfiable bloodlust. Sounds like a match made in heaven for Brock." He stopped and turned the screen back to its original position. He used his hand to emphasize his words, "Superhuman strength, durability, stamina, healing factor, wall crawling, and even making his own webbing out of the symbiote. That's what we're up against. I'm sure Carnage is the same, since he looks like he's made of a symbiote too."

My eyes widened as I scrolled through the X-Men file online. The guy underneath Carnage was all sorts of messed up. "I'm going to one-up you here. Cletus Kasady's father murdered his mother and got carted off to jail. Cletus ended up in an orphanage. He killed several people, including his grandmother. When he got shot down by a girl who didn't want to date him, he pushed her in front of a bus and burned down the orphanage." I blinked in surprise and cleared my throat. That escalated a little too quickly.

"So we're up against a murderous psychopath. Great…" Steve trailed off. He picked up another file and began to skim through it.

I scoffed and continued, "That's not all. He was cell mates with Eddie Brock. Camera feed shows when the jail was infiltrated, Brock's partner symbiote gave birth to another symbiote before leaving with Brock. The new symbiote bonded with Kasady, thus creating Carnage. Carnage escaped and went to a phone book, picked the first name he saw, and killed the person. The X-Men caught him and questioned him once, but he broke free soon after."

Peter's jaw dropped for a second and he quickly picked it back up. He knew the symbiote was an alien like Venom, but he didn't know it was Venom's son. "Jesus…You win that one. He's way more wacked out than Brock is."

"Our next villain…" Steve trailed off and set down the S.H.I.E.L.D. file in front of us. He lifted his head off of his hand, leaned back in his chair, and began speaking, "A mutant named Arkady Rossovich, or otherwise known as Omega Red. Natasha has come across him before while they both worked for the KGB. No one really knows his past, but all that is known is that he's a serial killer. The Soviets used him in an attempt to recreate…" Steve sighed tiredly, "…the super soldier serum and that's how Omega Red came to be. The metal in his arms were an artificial recreation of adamantium. Carbonadium is more malleable, allowing Rossovich to use them as weapons and even coil them around someone like a snake."

I groaned, "A serial killer with extra hands…this battle is going to be fun."

"We just have to be careful around him. If he catches us, he could squeeze the life out of us," Steve added.

Peter included, "Or worse…we don't know what other powers he has." Peter opened a file from the X-Men online database. Dr. Soul appeared and a small blurb was next to it. They didn't know much, but what they had might be useful. "The only thing it says on here is he's from a dark dimension. Maybe in his dimension, he was a scientist testing with something, and it went horribly wrong. His skin is deteriorated in places, almost like he's burnt from the same acid he makes with his powers. The plasma projectiles can vaporize matter on contact like acid. He can supposedly harvest souls…Dude…." Peter paused and chuckled, "That would be awesome in a video game."

"Yeah, but this isn't a video game," Steve and I commented simultaneously. We glanced at each other and smiled slightly. Great minds do think alike.

Peter scoffed and mumbled, "I still think it would be awesome." He set his head on his hand and leaned forward towards the computer.

"Saturna," Steve bitterly said her name. Since she destroyed his shield, he didn't appreciate her very much. That shield had been with him through thick and thin, especially during World War II. "S.H.I.E.L.D. file doesn't say much either. She's an alien from another planet, presumably Saturn because of how she looks and her weapon. The two rings can cut through anything, even vibranium…" He raised an eyebrow for a second and then dropped the file. "The team that went against her was KIA. We're going to have to move strategically in battle with her. Our best shot is to try to get the rings away from her. She's powerless without them, since she hasn't shown any other power."

"Let's hope she doesn't have powers then." I grabbed the last composed file from the table and opened it. A picture of the villain was paper clipped to the reports and findings lists. "Last but not least, Cain Marko, AKA Juggernaut." I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion and took a closer look at the file. "That's odd."

"What?" Steve asked, turning towards me. He set the papers in his hand down neatly on the messy table. Peter cocked his head a bit and waited for me to respond.

"This file was written by Professor Xavier." I bit my lip and skimmed the file. I never knew any of these facts, yet here they were on paper. How many X-Men knew about this? Why wasn't I told? "Xavier wrote, 'Cain's father, Dr. Marko, favored me over his own son, causing Cain to develop anger issues. Cain bullied me, but received beatings from his father shortly after. Everything became out of control. When my mother died, Cain got into an argument with his father after accusing him of killing her. Cain became angry and threw lab equipment full of substances around, and caused an explosion that destroyed the room. Dr. Marko managed to get both of us to safety, but died shortly after because of inhaling too much smoke. Cain's hatred for me only grew that day.'"

I paused and continued, "'We ended up serving in the army together later on in the years after Cain was free from some third world country's jail. During a fire fight, Cain deserted me and ran into a cave. I followed him, and came across an ancient temple. Once I found him, it seemed to be too late. He grabbed a ruby from the lap of an idol and transformed into a larger, muscular superhuman. Since then, he's been known as Juggernaut, hell bent on getting revenge.' Damn. Cain has some serious issues."

Peter furrowed his brow together in confusion. "So how did this help us? I don't see the point."

"We know who we're going up against. If we know their pasts, it might be easy to manipulate them," Steve simply replied.

I elaborated on what Steve said, "Professor Xavier will know how Juggernaut fights. We can get information on that so Hulk won't have such a tough time next round. You know Venom pretty well, Peter, so you can give whoever fights him tips and tricks. Carnage is a downright psychopath…but I noticed he did fight with Venom at times. There's a rivalry going on between them."

Steve nodded and wrote it down on one of the pieces of blank paper scattered on the table. He played with the pencil for a second. "If they fight each other, we can probably get them off the battlefield. Less villains for us to deal with."

Peter bit his lip and started making impatient noises. He seemed to be in thought for a second before he brought up another villain, "Did you guys see that dude? The one on the edge of the battlefield? He was creepy looking and stalkerish?"

The guy in the back with the black and white swirly face and long creepy fingers. How could I even forget that guy? He was like something straight from a horror movie. "I know what guy you're talking about."

"He gives me the creeps. Did you see how ugly he was? I can't imagine what he can do," Peter leaned back and tapped his foot against the floor. New villain meant unknown powers and attacks. We're walking in to a complete mystery scenario with that guy, or…thing. Now that we knew the villains' backgrounds, we could plan around it and try to create a plan of attack that works in our favor.


	4. Chapter 4

I hit the ground and grumbled to myself when Jean released the chair pinning me down. She put it back into its spot in the corner with her telepathic powers and sighed. "You're pushing yourself too hard. You need to focus on fighting," Jean stated in a soft tone and helped me up off of the floor.

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" I scowled. I took my gloves off and wiped the sweat off of my hands onto my shirt. Aggravating. Everything was so aggravating. The fear, the emotion, I finally had to let it out or I would completely lose my mind. "Beast, you're up."

Jean watched me with dismay and worry, but didn't intervene. Dr. Henry Philip, or commonly known as Beast, gladly stepped up to the plate, wearing his yellow and black X-Men pants. Multi-shaded blue fur covered his entire body, fluffing up and giving him a stronger silhouette. His blue eyes wandered over to me, causing a small smile to form, revealing his fang-like teeth. His ears pointed up and twitched as his sharp claws came out of his oversized fingers. "I haven't trained in a long time! It reminds me of my long-since passed years as a football player."

"That's something I didn't know about you," I tilted my head in acknowledgement and went at him. He dodged my punch by shooting off to the side and watched me stumble for a second.

Beast chuckled to himself and waited for me to strike again. He shot a playful smile and it vanished when I kicked him. He barred his teeth and went to claw me, but didn't manage to do so. He swung his arms a few times, trying to capture me when I went to dodge it. He learned the way I moved. Left, right, left, left. He managed to catch me off guard and his paw smacked into my arm. My elbow cracked and my arm ached. I cried out and went for a punch to the face.

Beast moved to the right, and I aimed a kick at him. He stepped back, and I kept following his moves trying to kick him. Soon, he was backed up against the wall and I managed to swipe his feet from underneath him.

He fell to the ground and rolled over when I went for an elbow to the chest. I hit the ground and grunted, but kept pursuing him. He was a professional wrestler and probably new all the moves. That was something I didn't take into consideration.

Beast leapt at me and clawed my leg. Blood hit the floor mat, but I ignored the pain and caught his other hand. I kicked him in the chest, sending him across from me. He retaliated with a few kicks. Miss. Punch. Miss.

As we fought, flashbacks of every horrible thing that's happened flickered through my mind. My parents dying.

I went in for a side swipe. Miss.

The government hunting us down. We all were caught one by one like animals.

Punch. Miss.

Peter's arm getting ripped off.

I had to physically restrain myself from using my powers to my advantage.

The sadness and guilt were fueling me. I had to fight. I had to stop anything from happening in the future, but how could I? I am one measly person. I couldn't stop the bad things from happening. I couldn't stop fate.

Kick. Miss. I leapt at him and we both fell to the ground.  

This went on for about six minutes. We wrestled and fought, but none of us could gain victory. Jean and Colossus watched from the sidelines, talking amongst themselves and glancing at me.

Beast rolled over and got me into a headlock, his oversized arm around my neck. I gasped for air and struggled to get free. His big leg wrapped around my torso and trapped me there. My face turned red as my lungs constricted from lack of oxygen. I coughed and attempted to push my way out, but it was no use.

I failed again. I failed.

I tapped his arm as a sign that I give in. He released me and I coughed a few times while laying on the ground. I was ashamed. _How could this happen? Am I losing my game? Am I putting too much anger into this?_ I contemplated and pulled myself together. I propped myself off of the ground and was forced to stand up. Failure only made the blood in my veins boil. _Failure means death. I can't allow any more pain._

"You should rest," Jean spoke up from the sidelines. She calmly stepped towards me and watched how I tore myself apart from the inside. She saw my pain and struggles, but she didn't bring it up. Her green eyes said it all.

I shook my head adamantly. "No. Let's keep going." Sweat fell off my brow and slid down my cheeks. I wiped some of it away with the back of my glove and made sure my hair was still in a tight ponytail.

Beast ruffled his sweaty hair out and stretched. His muscles ached and he yearned for relaxation. He agreed with Jean, "We've been training for two hours. You need to relax."

"I can do it," I said through gritted teeth. I jumped around a bit from side-to-side, holding my hands up in defense mode to keep my blood pumping. "Bring it on."

Colossus glanced around at the other two X-Men with wide eyes and focused back on me. He shook his hands and his rich Russian accent flowed with his words, "I don't want to hurt you, Lilly."

"You won't hurt me, Colossus. This is all just for training. Give me your best shot," I encouraged him and smiled. Colossus loved training, but he was always afraid to go too far and accidentally hurt someone. I wouldn't take it to heart. I needed this.

Colossus hesitated and took the first punch I sent his way like a champ. I sent one punch after the other, using him as a punching bag to take out all of my anger. All of my sadness. My guilt. He stood there and let me take it all out on him.

I was mainly angry at myself. Heroes were not supposed to let so many die. Heroes would never join the enemy corporation and actually kill people. Heroes don’t enjoy the adrenaline rush when fighting and killing. Heroes don't use their powers to hurt others. I've done all of those. I've let people down. I've hurt them. I've killed them. I wasn't a hero. I wasn't a villain. How could I hide behind the good I've done when I haven't made up for all of the bad? Tears fluttered down my cheeks, but could easily be mistaken for sweat.

Colossus wrapped me into a hug and I punched at his chest more and more. I didn't want a hug. I just wanted to fight. I wanted to be hurt. I wanted to feel the pain I've inflicted on others to get over what I feel. I wanted to just free myself from all the emotions. I yelped from emotional pain and kicked him away from me. My foot and hands ached from hitting metal, but I didn't care. I used my powers to hold his metal arm back and twisted it slightly. He cried out, causing my eyes to widen and release my hold on him.

Colossus gave me what I wanted and punched me in the gut, sending me flying into the wall. His hand flew up to his mouth in shock and he apologized several times. He asked me if I was all right and I simply nodded.

I stayed on the ground for a bit, closing my eyes and taking in the moment for a second. My heart pumped quickly in my chest and I felt like I couldn't catch up. Thoughts and memories sped through my mind. My sore limbs ached and exhaustion clawed at my eyes and brain. The fire inside me persisted; I had to keep going. I could do it. I couldn't use my powers, though. When someone pushes me, I push back. I can't stand down. I've stood down too many times already.

Peter and Steve strolled into the room and hung back on the wall near the entrance. Jean glanced over at them before turning back to me, gesturing to the bottled water in the mini fridge. "You need to hydrate, at least."

"No. Again," I commanded, putting my hands up in a defensive stance.

"You should stop," Beast put his foot down and looked at me sternly. A look of soft worry held in his eyes and his lips formed a slight frown.

Colossus reached towards me, but I quickly jerked back. He frowned and begged, "Lilly, please. You need rest."

The trio joined together and almost threw me out of the training room until Steve stepped forward. "I'll handle this," he said while taking off his shirt, revealing a white tank top. He stepped forward into the middle of the room, just feet ahead of me.

Steve eyed me cautiously and prepped himself. He steadied his breathing and stood there, allowing me to go in for the first punch. I missed and aimed a kick at his side. Success. My hand aimed for his chest, but he snatched my arm and twisted it. I grimaced and went in for another kick. He grabbed my foot and made me drop to the ground.

Thoughts sped through my mind and I punched the back of his knee. He fell next to me and rolled away from a punch I sent his way. He kicked me in the stomach and I groaned for a second. I forced myself up and waited for him to do the same.

We both went in for punches. I swung at him, he blocked it. He did the same and hit me a few times until I retaliated. Uppercut. Miss. Aimed for the rib cage. Miss. Punch to the arm. Success. Not enough. Every other punch I threw at him, he blocked. His expression showed pure concentration, eyes locked on me and his lips pursed into a tight line. I resisted the urge to use my powers, but with every missed punch only made me angrier.

He kicked me in the leg and his fist collided with my jaw. I cried out and was thrown backwards. I hit the ground and a pain soared up my back. My body was bleeding and bruised, but I still went back for more. This was training me to live through the war. Loki had too many villains on his side and I will _not_ back down this time.

I ran at Steve and jumped on him, wrapping my legs around him and got to a vantage point where I could elbow him in the collar bone. He winced and grunted at the pain. He forced me up against the wall, only causing my back to ache more. I went for more punches, but he caught my hands and threw me onto the ground. He wasn't holding back at all.

Steve pinned me down, straddling me in the process. His fingers held onto my wrists tightly, his nails slightly digging into my skin. Steve's bright blue eyes stared at me in such dismay, while his eyebrows scrunched together to show determination. The muscle in his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth together. His heavy breathing affected his speech, "Stop. Training."

"I need to! I can't keep failing." I huffed and felt his muscles tense as my hot breath hit his face. I struggled to get the next few sentences out of my throat, "I need to win. I have to protect my family."

"This isn't just about you, Lilly! If someone dies, it's a loss for the whole team. They're our friends too," he spit in my face. I scowled and attempted to throw him off of me, but he rooted himself to his spot. "You can't do this to yourself. The anger…it's not good for you. It will consume you, and then you're no better than the villains."

My breathing hitched and my hazel eyes peered into his with confusion. I scrunched my brow and I stopped fighting back. "No one's slate can be as clean as yours, _Rogers_. Not all of us are people who should be looked up to."

His eyes softened, but his expression still remained hard and determined. "Natasha said the same thing, and look where she's at now. She wiped the red out of her ledger, but she still carries the guilt. I see it." His tone softened as well and he stopped digging his nails into my skin. "I want to think you're going to go the same route as she did, Lilly, but if you let the anger get to you, you're going to turn on us to get the job done."

A pain struck my heart and I clenched my jaw for a split second. I grit my teeth. "You really think that lowly of me? That I'd turn on you guys?"

He huffed and sadness took over his features. He licked his lips and got off of me. "You're powerful enough to do it. I wouldn't be surprised if you left us behind to finish the mission."

It wasn't until then when I noticed the room had gone completely silent. All that could be heard was Steve and I's heavy breathing. Jean, Beast, and Colossus stared at us with little shocked expressions. Peter sat at one of the benches and looked at us with his mouth hung open. None of them actually thought Steve would say something like that out loud, or in front of them.

Steve offered his hand to help me up and I smacked it away. I stood up and wobbled on my feet for a moment. My muscles ached and screamed for rest. Blood still trickled from my wound. I could feel bruises forming all along my body. I felt like I had just lost my dignity. The aching inside only worsened. "Thanks for telling me what you really think," I said and limped out of the training room.


	5. Chapter 5

I rubbed my eyes as I stepped out of the steam filled bathroom into the guest room. Steve was probably going to come in to sleep at any minute, so I quickly brushed my wet hair and got out of there. I didn't want to face him for another few hours. I barely made it halfway down the hallway before Peter found me.

Peter walked beside me and tried to calm his unsteady breathing. He was nervous. Too easy to tell. "This might not be the time to bring this up…"

I replied bitterly, "You're right. It's not."

He followed closely next to me, matching my pace. Peter put his hand out in defense and raised it slightly, "Hear me out, alright? Don't get sassy with me just yet."

I rolled my eyes and agreed, "Fine. I'll keep quiet until I hear something I don't like." I just needed to wind down. I have been stressing all this time, putting all of the guilt, hate, and more on myself. After the stunt I pulled in the training room, it's making people question my motives and how well I'll work with the team.

"So, I was in the lab and I was thinking…a while back, an old mentor of mine worked with reptiles. He tried to create a serum to replicate the reptile's genetics so he could grow his arm back. That didn't work out too well. Clearly." He paused, combing his hand through his hair and licking his lips nervously. "If I could just come up with a way to examine and study the way your powers work, then maybe…"

I cut him off immediately, "No." This kid was insane if he thought I would allow something like that to happen. Being this way had its perks, but it did have its downsides.

"You aren't even listening to me," Peter cried out in frustration. His face was overcome with stress and utter sadness. His lip twitched slightly and he lowered his hand to his side.

"You don't want my powers, Peter. It's helpful with what we do, but it's a curse overall." I fluffed my wet hair out and rubbed the back of my neck. I understood where he was coming from, but it won't work.

Peter began, "But, just…"

I interrupted him and kept walking, "The answer is no."

Peter stopped and watched me for a second. His brow furrowed and the twitch in his lip morphed into a quiver. He yelled in defeat, "I just want my arm back!" I stopped and turned around to face him. His voice shook and broke in a few spots as he tried to hold himself together. "I lost my arm…I want it back. I can't keep acting like I'm okay with this. I'm freaking out inside. It takes all of the power within me to keep from hyperventilating. The pain…" Peter paused and sniffled, blinking a few times to keep the tears back. "I can still feel it there, but then I look down, and it's…" He stopped and shook his head. "You know what? Forget I even asked."

Peter turned around and walked away. The pain finally hit him. He finally had to come to terms with the loss of his arm. I felt terrible denying him from using my powers to benefit him, but I just didn't want him to go through what I have to. Immortality would not have a good toll on him. I called to him, "Peter, wait."

Peter turned around and walked towards me, his feet stomping on the floor. His face contorted in anger, his brown eyes full of pain. "Why? So you can say more of my ideas are stupid? Are not worth it? Because what I am going through right now doesn't matter?"

I was shocked. Did he really think I didn't care about him and his emotions? That I was that inconsiderate? Heartless? "It does matter! It's just…"

He took the opportunity to cut me off this time, "Just what? I'm not good enough for it?"

"No! If you copy my powers, we don't know how much you'll copy. You could end up with all of them. This life…you'll end up living forever."

"And why is that such a bad thing? At least I'd have all my limbs and be able to save people for the rest of my life!" Peter cried out and rubbed his temple. This argument caused a headache to form.

I yelled back, "Watching everyone you love grow old and perish is _not_ what you want!" Peter's face fell at my words. I narrowed my eyes at him and forced words out of my mouth in a calm manner. "I'm going to wake up one day and find out that you passed away. Some accident. Some heart problems. Dying in your sleep. How do you think I'm going to feel? _Everyone_ around me is going to die. I'm going to have to live with that." I dragged my hand down my mouth in frustration. Most people claim to want to be immortal, but when it happens, it's not everything it's cracked up to be. "I'm trying to save you from that pain."

"All things come with a price. You can use that time wisely and save as many people as you can." He sighed and moved his empty shoulder socket towards me. "I want my arm back. That's it."

I watched him for a second before giving in, "I had the lab team come up with a robotic arm. I know it's not the same as a real one, but I thought it might come in handy." I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose, "I didn't mean to say it like that."

"Making puns just runs in the family." Peter laughed a bit to amuse me. His expression faded and formed a happy one. His eyes lit up in excitement at the realization of what I just said. He set his hand on my arm. "You really did that? For me?"

I nodded and the corners of my lips lifted slightly. I would hope that this showed how much I really do care. I wouldn't want him to suffer more than he already is. "Of course, Peter. You're my cousin and I care about you deeply…Plus, the robot arm will be pretty badass."

Peter hugged me tightly, holding my head close against his shoulder. He whispered in my ear, "Thank you."

I backed up and kept my hand on his shoulder. This arm would open his world up to many more possibilities. The best and brightest in the school were working on it. "They could be working on it right now. You can go help make adjustments."

His eyes lit up even more and an idea struck. I could almost see the lightbulb flash on above his head. He moved his fingers along his lips for a second in thought. "Adding web shooters to the arm would be awesome and efficient. I would also have to take in how the hand would increase my strength…maybe I need to adjust the durability of the webbing itself…Or make sure it doesn't get stuck to my hand…" He trailed off, lost in his own ideas. He mumbled a few more things to himself before leaving off to the lab.

I think I knew what I needed.

A drink.

I made my way down the hallway, heading towards the kitchen downstairs. It wasn't a long journey. Few hallways and greetings from children as I passed by seemed to calm my nerves down a bit.

"Lilly!" Logan called from the barstool next to the island. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and put his empty beer glass down on the counter. Logan stretched out and yawned loudly. "I've been recruiting people. Bobby, Kitty, Wade, Storm, and Scott said they'd join the fight."

A smile formed on my lips at the sound of good news. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I jumped a little bit out of excitement and almost ran over to hug him, but held myself back. "You don't know how much this means to me, to all of us!"

 "No problem, Lil. Last time I said fuck off, nothing good happened." He threw the bottle at me and I put it in the recycle bin. He continued, "This is for the greater good. You said so yourself."

I nodded and took out a beer from the locked cabinet. The school didn't have any alcohol, even against Logan's persistence. He wanted a secret stash in his room, but Xavier caught him before he could do it. It sets the kids in a bad place because some of them are bound to find out about it. The last thing the school needs is an alcohol problem.

"Yeah…We just have to make sure everyone is ready."  I turned to him and opened the bottle. Logan took out a cigar and almost lit it until I scolded him, "Hey! You know Storm hates it when you smoke inside. It makes everything smell like smoke."

"Yeah, yeah, I fucking hate that rule." He got up and both of us walked outside to the backyard. We sat down on the stairs and stared up at the sky, just like old times. He lit his cigar and took a few puffs. The smoke smelled earthy and spicy to an extent. It was an odd mixture, but I didn't want to ask about it. "How have you been handling things?"

I took a long sip of my beer and waited before answering. I wasn't going to revisit what happened today. I was going to let that simmer in my head until I came to terms with it myself. "Oh, you know…chaos, mayhem…I'm handling that pretty well. Just stressful. Angry." I took another sip. "I don't want to talk about it."

"That's understandable. Life loves to kick everyone in the ass." Puff. Puff. He blew the smoke out in a long exhale. He flicked some of the ash off the end of it. "How's the little one? What's her name…?"

"Amelia," I responded shortly. I moved my hair to one side and sighed softly. I couldn't wait to finish this. All of it. Go back to living a somewhat normal life. "She's doing really well. She's making friends and having a great time in school. Amelia still hasn't gotten over her family being gone, though. Probably never will."

Logan raised an eyebrow and glanced over at me. He brought up the elephant in the room, "What are you going to do when she ages, but you don't?"

"I…I haven't thought much about how I'm going to tell her…" I stopped ageing a while ago. I'm going to watch her grow old. Steve will grow old. I'm going to be alone. Maybe that's why Logan took long vacations every couple months. He tries to detach himself from the ones he loves so he won't hurt when he sees them die later on. It'll just be Logan, Wade, and I one day, achieving what most people want in life. Immortality. That sounds like the ultimate hell. "All I know is that I'm going to wait on it. She won't notice for a while. I want to shield her from knowing too much as much as possible."

"That's really sweet of you, kid."

I nodded. It was. I just wanted her safe. "And with these villains…Shielding her from this is my first priority. Have you seen those villains? Alien symbiotes, an insane murderer, a crazy God, a few aliens, and Juggernaut? All of them combined are…too much. It's too much to focus on."

"We'll make this work, Lilly." He set the cigar down and let the embers fall down onto the staircase. He looked straight forward at the snow on the ground and at the clear sky. The land seemed to sparkle white and glisten in the moonlight. He huffed and looked at me before setting his arm around me. He saw me shivering from the cold and my hair being wet didn't help the situation.

"We don't stand a chance without you guys. I'm just…scared of losing," I admitted and rubbed my face. It was late. My muscles were sore. My mind seemed numb with too many questions and complicated thoughts. The fear took over and I had to find a way to swim through it.

Logan questioned, "Losing the war, or your friends?"

"Both. We can't…" I paused, closed my eyes for a few seconds, and bit my lip for a moment, "we can't let the people down again. As for my friends, I don't want them to lay down their lives when I could've done something about it. I should've pushed myself harder and went straight for Loki…"

"That's just a point of life, kid. We fail. We get pushed down. We get back up. Right now, you're on the stage of getting back up. You already lost the beginning of the fight. Now is the time for resurrection." There was a short silence before he continued, "Or, you know, just tell the enemies to fuck off."

I laughed and set my empty beer bottle on the ground. I set my head on his shoulder and reached for his cigar. He let me take a few puffs and I handed it back to him to finish off. Logan and I sat there, reminiscing about the old days and what lay ahead. All I had to do was enjoy the moment and let off some steam. It almost seemed like the calm before the storm.


	6. Chapter 6

Day two of being here at Xavier's school and nothing. We had nothing to go off of. I was glad we could rest up and gain some strength before charging into the next battle, but it was a lot of stress.

I sprawled out on the guest bed and tried to relax. I needed to calm my nerves. Everything was happening too slow. We needed to get out there already. Who knows what havoc Loki was planning next? I groaned and stared at the pale ceiling. _Stop worrying._ I thought to myself. _We'll get through this._

Steve knocked on the door before entering and shut it behind him. His hands played with the hem of his blue shirt until he calmed down and stopped. Steve never really liked arguing, so the make up conversation almost always became awkward. His lips tightened into a straight line and he almost sighed. He locked eyes with me as I sat up, allowing him to sit. Steve didn't tear his sad gaze away. "I'm sorry about yesterday."

Steve Rogers, everyone. He did nothing wrong, yet he still apologizes. I frowned and shook my head. "It's okay. It's not your fault. I'm the one that got out of hand."

"I understand where you're coming from. It's difficult to handle all of the emotions and stress." Steve's rubbed the back of his neck and raised his eyebrows. "I'm surprised Peter and Bruce are doing so well."

"Yeah, they have their own way of dealing with fear and guilt." I paused and thought for a moment. _This could either lead to another argument, or a calm conversation. 50/50 odds doesn't sound too bad._ "Did you really mean what you said yesterday?"

Steve frowned and he tore his gaze away from me. He focused on the desk in the corner of the room and the villains' files scattered about. His voice grew wary for a second until he cleared his throat, "That you would turn against us? That you're no better than the villains?" His expression fell and a grave replaced it. He blinked a few times before responding with the word that stabbed me right in the chest. "Yes."

I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded slowly. I knew anger and guilt was getting to me. How could it not? It wasn't just impacting me, though. It hurt the others. I took it out on them. I worried them. My heart sunk a bit and I kept a straight face. What I was about to ask next determined my next move. "Do you still trust me?"

Steve replied without a second thought, "Of course I trust you, Lilly." He shut his eyes tightly and exhaled loudly. "I trust you. How could I not? You mean so much to me. But…"

When he trailed off, it only made me more eager to hear the rest of it. I tried to help him finish his sentence, "Buuutttt….?"

His blue eyes opened and peered right into mine. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself and took my hand in his. "Promise me you won't let your anger get the best of you. I know you, Lilly. You aren't like them. Everything is just happening so fast that you never got a second to yourself. Catch your breath."

"How can I catch my breath when…" I stopped myself and saw him lean his head forward like he was waiting for me to finish. I shook my head and squeezed his hand. "I promise. I won't turn on you guys or leave you behind. We're a team."

Steve's face soured. He sat up straighter and was reluctant to say anything. He finally came to a conclusion a minute later and declared, "I don't want to sound horrible, but I have to ask a question." I nodded and waited for him to ask. He glanced away and continued, "You can definitely catch your breath after this conversation, but I have to ask. Are the X-Men ready? We need to group together and come up with a plan."

"No…" I groaned and tapped my foot against the floor impatiently. "No one is ready. We're still running on fumes as is. I'm still waiting for the Professor to greenlight the plan first. Logan has started recruiting people already, but we need to know how many can go first. If this threat is as big as it is, we can only bring some of them. Once Loki finds out the X-Men are involved, they'll attack the school next. The children need to be defended too."

Steve almost laughed out of despair, "This whole thing is just one big mess, isn't it?"

"Yeah, and it's our mess. At least we won't be viewed as vigilantes anymore. If we take out Loki's group, we'll be heroes again." No. No more of this guilt feely crap. I wasn't going to wallow in it any more. Not until our lives were stitched back together and everything was okay. I stood up and dragged Steve up with me. "Come on. Walk around the halls with me."

We strolled around the empty halls for a few minutes in silence. The sounds of different lectures wavered through the air. The smell of freshly cooked lunch in the cafeteria moseyed on up from the first floor and into our noses. Our stomachs growled at the smell, but we continued on. We occasionally glanced into a few classrooms with the doors open. Students gave presentations with beautiful visual aids and demonstrated some of their projects. In others, the students would play with their powers when the teachers' backs were turned. Some would laugh and others would flirt.

Steve spoke up after a while and admired the surroundings, "So, this is where you grew up."

"Yup. This is my home," I answered simply. I was incredibly proud of this place and all it has achieved. It was a huge part of my childhood, thus a part of me. If I could just remember the feeling, this memory, this part of my life, then nothing could make me question what side of the war I was on. I am better than the villains. Siding with people who have kept the school running for so long proved it. All I had to do was apologize to them and make it up somehow.

Steve smiled softly. "I like it. It's simple and it helps children in need. I almost wish I had something like this back in the day. A shelter that provided food in a time of need or rooms for the homeless. You know?"

I nodded. "It's unfortunate that you didn't have many resources like that back then." I couldn't imagine living back then. The tough times, the wars, the whole world changed back then. Having Steve tell me everything he went through was on my bucket list. There had to be some awesome facts that you couldn't get in the history books.

"I can't wait to spend time with Amelia when we get home." Steve tilted his head back and smiled at the ceiling like a dork. Just the thought of that little girl made him happy. She helped him get through the toughest time after Peggy's funeral. I didn't think anything could get him to smile then, but she did.

"You miss her too?" I asked, a grin starting to form on my lips.

"She's an adorable kid. How can I not?" Steve shrugged and chuckled lightly. "Plus, we promised we would take care of her. I'm a man of my word."

I squeezed his hand and tried to keep the conversation on a light note. This was winding both of us down. It was helping. Even if we were lost in this calm world for five more minutes, it would be worth it. "We can get an apartment somewhere in New York. I don't want Amelia growing up in the Avengers tower. With Tony around in the lab, things could get dangerous."

Steve agreed whole heartedly,  "Clint's always waiting to scare Tony and constantly throwing things. I understand why you would want to move." His eyes lit up at his thought and he turned to me. "We could get a place in Brooklyn around where I grew up. I can show you some of the old blocks and what stores were there. Little explorations down memory lane can be exciting."

I grinned and added softly, "I'd love that."

Before we turned around, we stopped at a classroom to see what was going on. Peter and Bruce were geeking out in the lab with a few of the students. Both of them were smiling like fools and laughing. Their eyes shined bright and they seemed so happy. This was the first time they could do something they enjoyed and dive right back into science.

Bruce took a portion of the students and spoke about nuclear physics. Some of the bored kids instantly became interested when they heard he was the Hulk. Bruce's smile swayed, but he always loved to meet people who thought he was a good guy.

Peter used his time to explain interesting concepts of biochemistry and biophysics to some of the students. The students seemed fully enraptured in his words and hung on to every last bit he had to say. His hand gestures sometimes went wild as he got too excited about a concept. He really enjoyed teaching. It was written all over his face.

Peter seemed to be enjoying the robot arm too. There were some times where he glanced down at it and it wouldn't work the way he wanted it to, or a flicker of sadness spread across his features, but he would immediately snap back into the real world when a student asked a question.

Steve wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we watched both of them teach. The children were so fascinated, so ready to soak up all of the knowledge. It only enhanced my faith and strength. We were fighting for them. Whether or not we would make it, we would do it for them. For their futures. There was hope for the future. There had to be. We just had to fight to secure it.


	7. Chapter 7

Peter walked out into the snow covered backyard. A cold chill brushed against his skin, but not feeling it on his left arm made him a bit nervous. He tried to get used to the new arm as much as he could, but it had only been one day. Bruce told him to give it time, but time was never on their side. He flexed his metal fingers slowly and cringed. The cold made flexing worse and made the metal cold to the touch.

He put red gloves on so he would stop looking at his arm. Self conscious thoughts crossed his mind a few times and all he wanted to do was hide it. Showing the kids the arm earlier was needed because they helped design it. It would have been rude to hide it from them.

Peter's brown eyes scanned the area; a small smile lifted the corners of his lips. Kids played basketball on the snow covered court. They trudged through the snow and tried to be faster than the other team. Other students sat on the benches and talked. The last majority of the students were having snowball fights or building snowmen. Peter noticed a few kids forming a circle on the side of all the events. He eyed them for a few seconds and frowned when he realized what was going on.

A girl grabbed a taller boy by the collar and brought him down to her level forcefully. She spat in his face and yelled about something incomprehensible. The boy's eyes widened and he tried to back up, but she pulled him closer and got ready to punch him.

Peter immediately ran over and tried to intervene. He stopped a few feet behind them and questioned, "Really? We're resorting to this level of immaturity?"

The girl turned around slightly to look at Peter. Her golden eyes glared at him as the wind brushed her dark hair out of her face. She emphasized, "Stay out of this. It _isn't_ any of _your_ business."

Peter held his gaze and didn't stand down. He's been through this multiple times before. He wasn't going to stand by while some innocent kid got picked on. He reasoned with her, "Put the kid down. You're are better than this."

She scoffed and looked back at the tall boy. "Not until he gives back what's rightfully mine. He owes me money."

"I really don’t want to report you to the Professor. For all I know, you're probably a smart kid. You should know better than this," Peter declared. He stepped a little closer to her to calm her down. The girl didn't pay attention and outright punched the boy. The boy was knocked backwards, clutching his bleeding nose and falling to the ground.

Peter threw webbing at her hands and tugged her towards him. "Don't make me drag you there." She eyed him carefully, but nodded. Peter kept her hands wrapped up and let go of his grip on the web. She grouchily walked towards the building. Peter called after her, "If I don't see you in the Professor's office when I get there, I'll make sure the penalty is greater than it would be." Peter went over to the boy and helped him up. "What's your name?"

The boy clutched his nose with one hand and took a tissue out of his pocket to wipe up the mess. His voice sounded muffled and higher pitched since he pinched his nose shut, "Jake. Jake Porter." Jake's short, spikey black hair appeared frozen and stiff. His blazingly blue eyes peered at all of the blood and almost began to hurl.

Peter looked at Jake sympathetically. He remembered what it felt like to be like that. "Do you really owe her money?"

Jake shook his head and cleared up the situation, "I didn't help her with her project and she wanted money out of me. She got a decent grade, but it wouldn't pull her overall grade up to a B." He shrugged and stopped his nose from bleeding.

Peter glanced over at me. I had just watched the whole scenario go down as I stood at the back porch. If I would've gotten there earlier, I would've helped. He waved me over and I met up with him. He motioned to me and spoke to Jake, "My cousin can teach you a few things about defense if you want."

I smiled at Jake, but he seemed disinterested and looked back at Peter. He looked at him in amazement and exclaimed, "I want you to teach me. You're Spider-Man!"

My cousin smiled shyly and scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah. Okay, I will." He pat Jake on the shoulder and commented, "One day you'll grow up to be a hero like me, Jake. But…" His face fell and suddenly the light in his eyes dimmed. "I don't think that training seems like the best idea for me right now." I glanced at Peter worriedly and he just shook his head.

Jake saw his mood shift and changed the subject, "Okay. I'm just so psyched to meet you! I'm your biggest fan! I know almost everything about you." He took in a breath before going on one of the biggest rants. Sentence after sentence, this kid just didn't seem to stop to take another breath.

Peter's brown eyes were full of wonder. He hadn't met a fan in person before and his face softened. It felt good to know people looked up to him. Peter smiled in appreciation and changed his mind. "You know what? I'll help give you some pointers. Meet up with me later at the lab."

Jake nodded and left with the biggest smile plastered on his face. He jumped and fist pumped the air when he got far enough away, not caring who saw.

Peter glanced at me from the side and bowed his head, "Did he make a decision yet?"

I shook my head in defeat and sighed, "No. He might tell me today. I'm just waiting on it. It'll take a day to get everything situated after he decides so…We're only missing out on three days so far. That's enough time to relax."

He scoffed, "Yeah…relax. I'm going to go deal with that bully and then meet Jake." Peter started walking towards the building until I pulled him aside.

When I realized I grabbed his metal arm, I retracted my hand and looked at him worriedly. "Are you doing okay?"

"Never been better," Peter lied through his teeth and kept walking. He needed time to adjust and I had to respect that. This kind of thing wasn't easy on someone.

I stood there for a moment in the cold watching him walk away. I sighed and pulled the blue cap tighter around my black hair. My ears were freezing, but I wanted to stay out here a little while longer. Watching the kids play was calming and reminded me of all the times I had here with Bobby, Kitty, and the others. I had to do something in order to keep my mind occupied. My impatience had started to rise and I yearned for an answer, but good things come to those who wait.

 

I rested my hand on Steve's chest sleepily. He couldn't sleep alone, so he decided to rest with me, but he immediately fell sound asleep after that. It had been hours since then and I opened my heavy eyelids when I noticed he wasn't breathing. Steve lied as rigid as a plank and his chest didn't move. I sat up and nudged him softly. "Steve?"

"I need to talk to you."

I rubbed my eyes and looked towards the center of the dark room. Professor Xavier turned on the light so I could see better. He sat in his wheelchair in gray pajamas and appeared extremely exhausted. He had stopped time to talk to me. Or…maybe this was a dream. I couldn't tell. "Professor, it's like…" I glanced at the alarm clock on the side table, "three in the morning. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I couldn't sleep. I've been contemplating your problem," he answered simply.

I disagreed with him, "It's _our_ problem, Professor. Loki's going to kill a lot of people. Once we're gon-"

He cut me off and nodded subtly, "Don't worry. We're going to help."

 _YES!_ I thought excitedly and jumped off my bed. I hugged the professor and ghosted through him. I completely forgot he was using his powers and he wasn't really in the room with me. I stood straight up and ruffled my hair in embarrassment. "Thank you! I really can't thank you enough."

"That's what family does. I've told Storm who is all going, so she is setting everything up later today." He averted his blue eyes and his mouth moved for a second until he could find words, "There is another matter I want to touch upon. I can see you're feeling guilty." I stayed silent, hanging my head at what he said. I was trying to get over it. I really was. He continued, "I don't blame you, you know."

"Blame me for what? Letting millions die? Knowing Loki was murdering all these people and we couldn't stop it?" I rubbed my face in effort to wake myself up even more. I just wanted to fight the villains and make everything right again. I wanted this horrible situation done with.

He responded quietly, "None of that was your fault."

"Then why do I feel like it is?"

Professor Xavier cleared his throat and peered back at me. He lifted his hands to make motions while talking and he began to assure me, "We can only save so many without racking up a death toll. The universe has to be balanced with good and evil, and it has been so far. This is how things were supposed to happen. All in good time, Lilly. Everyone and everything has a purpose. You just have to have patience and wait until the right moment to strike."

Steve woke up, startling me. The lights turned off and we were left in the dark again with only the moonlight streaming in from the window. I looked at him and watched him get up while half asleep. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times to get his bearings. I glanced back at the middle of the room and the professor was gone. I turned back to Steve and asked quietly, "What are you doing awake at three in the morning?"

"I need to get ready for a run," he replied and walked passed the edge of the bed. He accidentally stepped onto his newly repaired shield that was lying on the ground and it flipped up, hitting his knee cap hard. He started hopping on his good leg and cursed many times under his breath.

"Steve," I gasped slightly in surprise. I reached over and helped him steady himself. "I've never heard you curse so much in one sentence."

"Yeah, well it hurt." He looked down at me and cringed from the stinging in his knee. "You coming with me? Maybe you can actually win the race fairly this time," he joked and a small smirk played on his lips.

My hazel eyes narrowed at him and I crossed my arms. "You know, I was thinking about giving you a kiss, but now I think I won't. But, I'll go on the run with you just so I can humiliate your running skills."

"You call that humiliating? You're only embarrassing yourself," he chuckled and moved some hair out of my face. His bright blue eyes peered into mine and he ran his thumb over my cheek.

I rolled my eyes and snorted, "Whatever."

Steve kissed my cheek softly before taking some clothes into the adjoining bathroom. I needed to wake up. The Professor's words gave me hope. Everything happens for a reason, like we were destined for some greater purpose. That was something I had to ask someone one day. _Do you ever wonder why we're here?_


	8. Chapter 8

Screams echoed through the streets, slowly increasing as more of the population was impacted. Civilians fled to safety, grabbing any crying kids or helping the fallen along the way. Some shut themselves in a building and barricaded the doors. Others were smart and kept booking it farther away. Groans of agony rose from the people who lay on the ground, their bones broken or were bleeding out. Limbs and bodies sprawled out on the streets, blood tracing their paths and pooling around them. Fire danced on the buildings, lighting them up one by one. Explosions boomed left and right from exploding cars. Mixtures of sulfur, smoke, and iron hung in the air, crowding the fresh air.

The police barricade that formed only crumbled a few moments later. A blue shot flew straight towards one of the police vehicles, causing it to fly up and flip over. The flames scorched some of the officers and killed others. Their bullets weren't stopping any of the villains. There wasn't any hope.

Loki walked in the middle of his group of villainous peers, scowling and firing shots from his scepter at anything that fired at them. His signature golden ram helmet adorned his head, covering his slicked back black hair. His icy blue eyes focused on what was in front of him. The fallen cops. The blown up cars. The destruction. It all made adrenaline pump through his system and made him crave more. This world would bow down to him as if he were king.

Venom charged at the remaining policemen at a high speed, knocking people and cars over in his wake. The black symbiote absorbed all of the small caliber bullets that were fired at him. The gunfire failed to slow him down and he reached the policemen in under thirty seconds and tore through the group with ease. He slashed them down with his sharp claws, leaving no one left alive.

Omega Red threw people around with his adamantium whips, launching them into buildings and the sky. He flung cars in random places and laughed to himself. Loki ordered this destruction and all of them were happy to do it. This was for the greater good of their takeover. He would do anything to ensure his alliance with the Norse King. His blond hair hung loosely in his red eyes and he scowled at the people. The pain in his body started to take over slowly, and he was quickly reminded that the alloy he was injected with in the Weapon X program was still killing him. He threw the whip out and yanked a person from the ground. The whip coiled around the victim like a snake with prey as the metal slowly stole their life energy. He dropped the corpse and cracked his neck in pleasure. He felt reenergized and the pain disappeared from his system. "Ah, much better."

Saturna looked around with her yellow eyes and threw one of her circular blades at the civilians. The blade cut into a few civilian's legs and knocked them down to the ground. They screamed out in agony and tried to keep moving, regardless of the blood flowing from their open wounds. She threw the other blade at one of the men who tried putting up a fight and it attached itself to his neck. He freaked out and tried to yank it off, but it cut his hands as it slowly shrunk and eventually cut off his head.

Dr. Soul hung back behind the group, closed his eyes and took a breath. He summoned all of the fallen souls in one sweep using immense concentration. The souls flew up into the sky and into his outstretched hands, empowering him more and more by the second. His eyes glowed a bright green instead of gray and he smiled devilishly. Plasma flew from his hands at buildings, the acid eating the material and breaking the building down. He threw plasma at every building he could see, causing the structures to collapse or crumble under the pressure. The others were making sure the people were taught a lesson. Why waste a good opportunity to wreck buildings and show everyone all you got? This would definitely get the point across.

Ira grabbed her sword and turned to face the new police that arrived on the scene. Her gray eyes focused on her next victims and she blew her short black hair out of her face to focus better. She glanced down to make sure her sword wasn't breaking and noticed the way it reflected light against her purple skin. Soon, it would be covered with blood. She surged forward, dodging any bullets that came her way and deflected the ones she missed with her sword. She thrust the sword into a one of them and snatched his gun to shoot at the others. A few policemen dropped like flies and others ducked behind their car doors for cover.

A civilian jumped on Ira, causing her to thrash around uncontrollably to get them off. The police took advantage of it and tried to restrain her. Loki watched the scene and waited for the outcome. He wouldn't help the weak, no matter how close they were. Ira kicked them away from her and bit the civilian's arm. The civilian yelled and let go of her, allowing Ira to turn around and stab them right in the chest. Loki turned and shot at the policemen before Ira could notice he was just observing.

A couple of Air Force jets flew overhead in a fly by, and Juggernaut tried to follow them. He crashed into all the cars on the road, causing them to fly up and land on the sides of buildings. When the jets flew too far, he slowed down and got angry. Juggernaut aimed at the civilians that were running in a straight line and clapped his hands forcefully together in a move he liked to call the Thunderclap. The civilians were rendered unconscious and dropped to the ground in a small pile.

He smiled until the jets flew back over. He yelled and grabbed a car bumper. He spun it around a few times and launched it at one of the planes. Smoke rose from the aircraft and it spun out of control. The pilot attempted to regain control, but the effort was useless. She ejected herself out of the jet and parachuted out onto the roof of a building. The jet spun faster and caught fire before it crashed into a tall building. Glass spewed everywhere and some people fell out of the building before they could realize what was going on. The rest of the Air Force team retreated after getting a look at the destruction and went back to report their findings.

A News 13 helicopter roared overhead, trying to take footage of the chaos for live television. Carnage looked up at it with its white symbiote eyes and screamed at it, showing its sharp teeth. He ran up one of the brick buildings and threw himself at the helicopter.

The helicopter spun for a few seconds and fought to get balanced under his heavy weight. Carnage reached over and ripped the pilot from his seat, but only succeeded in yanking half of him out. Blood soaked the seat and the news anchor and camera man screamed at the sight. Carnage threw the news anchor out and let them freefall to the ground. His sharp claw took the camera man and launched him up into the helicopter blades. Blood showered on Carnage and fell down below, spraying everything in its path.

He grabbed the camera that was left in the aircraft and hopped out. The helicopter fell into the street and crashed into some cars, which proceeded to blow up on impact. Fire and smoke reigned the streets behind the villains, and Loki couldn't be happier.

Carnage brought the camera to Ira, who fumbled with it for a minute to make sure it was recording. She had to have Dr. Soul help her out, for she wasn't good with human technology. Once she had it set, she put it on her shoulder and faced it towards Loki.

Loki reached over and cleaned the screen of the thick red blood. The smoke and fire backdrop just made the scene so much better to get the point across. He peered straight into the camera and sneered, "This is what happens when you do not obey. I best advise you listen, or next time it will infinitely worse."


	9. Chapter 9

Logan yelled up from downstairs with urgency, "Lilly! Come here!" I sprinted downstairs as quick as I could. This had to be bad. I turned around the corner and into the entertainment room to see some students staring in horror at the television screen. Some whispered to themselves and others had to leave the room. Logan sat on the edge of the couch and pointed at the screen, "Is that your guy?"

I turned to the television and my stomach began to churn at the sight. The blood, the destruction, the people screaming and getting slaughtered, I took my eyes off of the screen and grimaced. "Yeah, that's him."

Steve ran into the room with my cell phone to his ear. He put the phone away from his mouth and motioned to me, "Are you watching it?"

I nodded and ran my hands through my hair stressfully. I put my hair into a ponytail and replied, half in thought, "We need a plan, and fast."

Steve clicked a button and took the phone away from his ear. He spoke louder than usual, "Barton, you're on speaker. Lilly, how fast can the Professor get the team together?"

"Five minutes maybe. Want me to try?"

"I'll do it," Logan took initiative and walked quickly out of the room.

"So where exactly is this?" I asked as I glanced around the room. The students watched us worriedly and turned off the news broadcast. Their country was crumbling before them and they didn't know what to do. I motioned them to just breathe in and out and go do something productive to get their minds off of it.

Barton huffed and answered, "Downtown DC. There's so much damage…We've tried to set up a safe shelter for the survivors, but the majority of them are wounded. We're calling in medical help now."

I dragged my hands down my face in frustration and tried to not overthink the situation. It was simple. Get the bad guys. Save the world. No pressure. "I'm glad you guys are on it. We'll be there in a few to observe the rest of the area and sweep the perimeter."

Steve glanced at me worriedly with his blue eyes and replied to Clint, "Stay safe, Barton."

Barton answered with a hint of exhaustion in his voice, "Will do, Captain."

Steve hung up the phone and handed it to me. He patted me on the shoulder and waited to see if I was okay. I nodded and ushered him out into the hallway to get dressed. Can't fight a war without a uniform.

Peter and Jake walked down the hall, talking and laughing about a show they both watched. Peter glanced up at us and had to do a double take when he saw our faces. He stopped walking and raised both of his eyebrows. "What's going on?"

"We have a problem," I responded and motioned him to our rooms. He got the hint, almost like we talked telepathically, and his smile disappeared. Peter's brown eyes darkened and he looked down at his arm in an unsatisfied way. He never worked it in the field, so this would be an interesting test run. 

Jake looked over all of us with curious blue eyes and questioned in an excited fashion, "What kind of problem? Can I help?" His smile grew and he nearly bounced up and down.

Peter saw his excitement and shook his head, "Jake, buddy, you have to stay here. We'll go check it out." If this kid couldn't fight off a school bully, he'd die out there in the field. None of us wanted another innocent fatality on our hands.

Jake slumped over and motioned his unbelief by throwing his hands out. "This is an opportunity to fight with the Avengers and some of the X-Men! I can't pass this up."

Peter peered down at Jake and his lips formed a tight line until he thought of what to say. This kid looked up to him. Maybe he could convince him to stay. "You have to. We don't know what's out there."

Jake's smile fell and he almost whined, "But you've taught me so much already! I can do it!"

Peter appeared torn, but shook his head once more. If anything happened to him, he would never forgive himself. He set his hand on Jake's shoulder and offered, "Maybe next time, Jake. I'll come back and we'll complete our lesson for the day. Alright?"

Jake's expression swallowed itself in pain and he replied with a simple okay before leaving. He trudged off into the kitchen in a depressed manner. We just ruined his dream of fighting with us, but it was for his own good. I reassured Peter, "He'll be fine."

"I know. I just want to protect him, you know? He's like a little brother to me. He's such a smart kid," Peter replied and rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. Letting his dream crumble was better than getting him killed. He groaned and walked with us to our rooms.

Steve filled both of us in on the situation so far, "Loki destroyed a major part of downtown DC. Barton, Romanoff, and Stark are already there taking in survivors and protecting the untouched part of the city. We're going in to the damaged portion to see if anyone still needs help. If Loki and the others are still there, we'll take them while we have the upper hand."

I scoffed and added, "Yeah, well let's hope we have the upper hand. I'm not sure how many of the group is still here. Some went out to do business for the day, remember? Jean had that important government conference meeting and Scott and Kitty went to back her up. She wanted the government to know that the X-Men were siding with us in defeating Loki to assure some public hope."

"That doesn't help us at all. We'll just have to make due with what we have," Steve huffed, his face fell and was replaced with determination.

"Are we bringing Banner?" Peter walked backwards and looked at us.

I disagreed with the possibility of that. That was too dangerous, especially since we fought them a few days ago. "No. Not yet. He still hasn't rested over the last fight. We need Hulk at his greatest when we go back in."

"Okay. I'll see you guys in a minute then." Peter entered his room to go get changed and closed the door behind him.

Steve entered our room and grabbed his suit. He set his shield on the bed before going to the bathroom to change. "You nervous?"

I chuckled lightly, "You ask me that every time we're about to get into a fight." I stepped into my suit and zipped it up when it was ready. I noticed the holes and blood still on the suit and cringed. _Need to get this stitched up._ I set up a sticky note in my mind for later.

"I like to reassure you that it will be okay. I don't want you going in there with your nerves on end."

"I'll be fine, Steve." I finished getting dressed and put in my contacts slowly. I tilted my head back and commented, "You worry too much about me."

Steve came out of the bathroom and picked up his shield. His red, white, and blue suit was bloody in a few places and burnt slightly in others. He kept his blue eyes locked on the shield to avoid eye contact with me. He really was worried enough to avoid showing me. "I have a right to be. I don't want to lose you," his tone softened as he replied.

I blinked a few times to make sure my contacts stayed in place and turned to face him. I set my hands on his slender face so he could look at me and smiled a bit. "You won't lose me. I can't die, remember?"

His eyes shifted between both of my hazel eyes and he bit the inside of his cheek. He quietly stated, "I don't want to lose you to anger or anything like that. I don't want you to change and become someone else."

My eyebrows knit together as I thought for a moment. Maybe he was right. Maybe this battle would change me. Maybe my grudge against the villains would drive me bloodthirsty with anger. I was going to reply until Peter knocked on the door. I dropped my hands to my side and repeated myself, "You won't lose me."

We met Peter out in the hall as he was adjusting his suit. He stretched his left hand in his stitched up suit, trying to see if his metal arm would break right through it. He was the only smart one and actually stitched up his suit before he needed it.

I lead the way down to the underground base. Kids stared in awe as we passed by and others talked to their friends about the situation. The whole school seemed quiet for the most part. News traveled fast around here, so I was sure they were all worried about what had happened in DC.

We met up with Logan, Bobby, and Storm in the hall before the vehicle room. Their yellow and black suits seemed to give some color to the bright, metallic hallway. Bobby stretched and watched us enter the hall. Logan made sure his mask was firmly on his head. Storm's cape followed behind her as she lead the way to the X-Men's Blackbird.

The Blackbird was slick around the edges and newly painted black. It was twice the length of the regular S.H.I.E.L.D. jets, and much roomier for that matter. The Blackbird was fueled and warming up for take off. We walked up the ramp and the X-Men sat down in their designated seats. Steve looked around for a minute while Peter gawked at the technology. He looked at all of the buttons and consoles up at the front, almost giddy with joy. The monitors lit up blue and showed us our destination.

I showed Steve to an empty seat and yanked Peter away from the consoles at the front. Once we were all seated, I finally exhaled nervously. My eyes fell on the occupied front seat. I looked confused and called out, "Are you sure you want to join us, Professor?"

He turned slightly back to glance at me and agreed, "You are short staffed. If you need the help, I will be there." He told Storm to start take off and looked forward out of the windshield.

I waited patiently and hoped everything would work out in my mind. Thoughts ran through wild and impatiently as we got into the air. The ride started off as a little bumpy, but soon, we were smooth sailing through the sky. I glanced over at Bobby and asked, "Have you looked at surveillance of the area yet?"

"Loki and the majority of them are gone, but there's someone still terrorizing people in the streets," Bobby observed as he pulled it up on the computer. He pointed at the screen, which showed up on all of our monitors, "See that red dot? That could be one of them or a few of them, but I can't pull up the camera feed. Something is really wrong here."

Steve and I glanced at each other. He spoke up before I could, "Then let's go find out who it is and take them in."


	10. Chapter 10

The huge building was more than six stories tall with thick cream colored walls that seemed to run on forever. Some of the windows at the top had been blown out, and some windows at the bottom had bullet holes in them. Glass scattered all over the bloody sidewalk, crunching under our shoes as we stepped up to the entrance.

"We're going to step foot inside the FBI Headquarters. How cool is that?" Peter acknowledged in a slightly giddy tone. He jumped from one foot to the other in an effort to warm up; I thought it might be partially because he's really excited.

Bobby chipped in with Peter's excitement, "I know! I wish it was on better terms, though. Imagine what it would be like to see this place in action. I wonder if we'd meet any spies."

Steve shook his head and drew their attention to him. He put in his earpiece and motioned to all of us, "This building is huge. I think we should split up into pairs of two and go to different levels."

"I think the Captain is right. I'll stick with him," Peter volunteered. "We'll take the middle floors."

Storm spoke up next, "I'll take Bobby to the first level, and if they have a basement, we'll check it out."

"I guess that leaves you with me and the Professor at the top floors," Logan declared and gestured towards me. I nodded and glanced at Steve, who sent a reassuring look back. I knew Peter and Steve would watch out for each other, but I couldn't help but to worry. We all went our separate ways to scout out the building.

Steve and Peter took the first flight of stairs to the second floor of the building. Blood and dead bodies were spread out across the hall. Some were lab tech personnel or FBI agents with pistols in their hands. Gunshots made holes in the walls, almost like all of their shots missed the target. Maybe it moved too fast for them to shoot at. Or…it was never there at all.

"Wow, we really missed the party," Peter surveyed the area and grimaced. Steve turned around to shoot him a disapproving glance before moving down the hall. He stealthily moved around the blood puddles and kept his shield close to him. The silence seemed unnerving and overwhelming. Usually there was noise. Even comms was quiet.

Peter shivered and he looked straight ahead. His Spidey senses were tingling, but he didn't see anything. He turned around and froze in his spot. The creature looked like it crawled out from Hell itself. A ripped black coat covered its body from head to toe. The only things visible were its three long fingers for hands and its portal like face.  It just stood there, watching them silently while its fingers twitched and its black and white face spun in a circular motion. Spider-Man remarked out loud, "I've seen a lot of villains in my time, but you sir are the creepiest."

Captain America spun around and stared at the villain for a few seconds. None of them have seen anything like it before, so this was uncharted territory. They fought aliens though, so this should be no different. "Focus, Peter."

"What? It's the truth! Look at this guy! Straight out of a scary movie."

Steve tried to focus and threw his shield at the figure. His shield went straight through him, bouncing off of the walls and right back towards Steve. He caught it and eyed the figure in a confused state. It confirmed his theory of the creature never really being there. It's not in the physical realm which was…odd.

Peter threw some webbing with his right arm's tech at the creature's feet, but it just attached itself to the ground. The creature stepped through the webbing towards the pair of heroes, not being bothered by anything it walked through. Peter let go of the webbing and stepped backwards. He called out, "What do we do, Cap?"

Before he could answer, the creature thrust out its arms forward and a blast of air swept over them. Steve fell to the ground from the force, and Peter fell to his knees while he cupped his ears. An immense pain formed in both of their heads, almost too unbearable for them to take in.

Steve felt warm hands on his face and his eyebrows twitched in confusion. Laughing  and talking was all around him and music from the 40's played in the background. The air was hot and heavy, not cold as he remembered it. He opened his eyes slowly and felt his whole body freeze up.

Peggy's loving brown eyes peered into Steve's blue ones, a small smile adorning her red lips. Her brown hair was done up the way he remembered it to be before he went down in the ice. "Steve," she whispered, her English accent floating into his ears.

His heart ached immensely and he felt like his lugs were constricting, as if he was having an asthma attack. The last thing he remembered about Peggy was her death. The way her blank stare looked, the stained blood all over her clothes, everything sent shivers down Steve's spine. Her funeral was beautiful and the way she would have wanted it. A confused expression took over as he gazed at her. "Peggy?"

Peggy removed her hand and set it on her lap. A genuine, caring look spread across her face. "You passed out. Are you alright?"

Steve blinked a few times and felt a slight pain in his head. This wasn't where he was before. He was fighting that…thing with Peter. Right? This had to be a dream. "I…I don't know. What's going on?"

"We're about to start the celebration. The war is over, Steve," she reported in triumph. She ushered him to get up off of the floor because he was causing a scene.

Steve sat up and looked around the room. The brown wooden walls, black and white checkered floor, the bowl-like wall lamps, he knew this bar from anywhere. It was the same bar the Howling Commandos agreed to join his team, the first time he saw Peggy in a dress, and had one of the first drinks he had with Bucky after saving him. The bar was blown to bits. How is it here? The Howling Commandos clinked glasses and laughed as they chugged the whole drink down. "What? How?"

"Oh, please don't tell me you hit your head that hard. It was a small fall."

Steve touched his head gently and shook off the horrible feeling. "I…yeah, I'm fine."

Peggy held out her hand and helped him up. She flattened the wrinkles out of her brown army uniform and held out her hand once more. "Shall we?"

 

Peter felt the ground underneath his knees change to a plush carpet. He opened his eyes and took his hands off of his ears. He glanced down and saw himself wearing his normal clothes, not his Spider-Man suit like he remembered. He wasn't in the building with Steve or the creature, but rather in Aunt May's home. The dark tan walls, polished hardwood floor, dining table on the left of the house leading to the kitchen, pictures fro all sorts of different places hanging on the walls, it was just as Peter remembered. The smell of freshly cooked dinner wafted into his nose and he inhaled in satisfaction. It's been over a year since he'd been there. He glanced around confused beyond all belief until his eyes landed on one person.

Uncle Ben.

Peter's eyes swelled up with tears and he stood up quickly, easing over slowly towards his uncle. He reached his trembling hand out and touched Uncle Ben's arm. His heartbeat echoed in his ears and his breath sped up. "You…You're r-real," Peter stuttered on the brink of a breakdown.

"Of course I'm here, Peter. Where else would I be?" Uncle Ben adjusted his glasses and he raised one of his eyebrows in confusion. His white hair glistened in the light as he moved the papers on the table to clear a spot for Peter.

Peter hugged him tightly, tears falling down his face like a soft rainfall. He clutched him tightly and his heart ached at the memory. Uncle Ben was on the sidewalk, shot an dying. There was nothing Peter could do but watch him die, and in that moment, he felt like a part of him died with Uncle Ben.

Uncle Ben hugged back, but questioned, "Peter, are you doing okay?"

Peter clutched his uncle's blue knit sweater tightly, for he was afraid to let go. If he let go, what if this all went away? What if he was left alone again? It was all his fault Uncle Ben died. If he just apprehended that robber, Uncle Ben wouldn't have gotten shot. He was the reason his beloved Uncle died, and it tore him apart.

"What's going on in here?" A voice drifted out of the kitchen. The person walked into the room and looked at Uncle Ben and Peter.

Peter glanced up at the figure through tear-ridden eyes, only to cause more tears to form. "Gwen?" Blonde wavy hair, blue eyes, it all flashed through his mind and he immediately knew who that was. He let go of his Uncle and ran to Gwen Stacy, held her tightly and kissed her on the spot. She was surprised, but kissed back with as much passion as Peter did.

Gwen pushed him back a bit. She smiled and laughed, "What? Miss me?"

"You wouldn't believe how much I've missed you," Peter stated quietly. Tears streamed down his face at this point. He couldn't hold them back. He sniffled and set his forehead against hers. "I love you, Gwen."

"I love you too, Peter," she said breathlessly and gazed up at him with her blazing blue eyes. She set her hand in his and quickly kissed him again. Peter never wanted to let her go again, but he moved towards Uncle Ben to see what he was working on. Both of them being back made Peter's heart break even more, but they seemed so real. They were there. He could touch them. Maybe what he experienced was all a bad dream and this was the real world. He wiped his wet cheeks with his hands and smiled through the pain.

He was home.


	11. Chapter 11

"We've covered our floors. Heading up to the second one now," Storm announced over communications. She quietly stalked down the corridor up to the stair case with Bobby right behind her flowing cape. She felt a spark of lightning between her fingers, ready to jump at someone who attacks first.

Bobby added in, "We found some agents that are willing to help us. They were hiding in one of the secure rooms waiting to hear from others. They wouldn't leave the building knowing there were still people inside." He flexed his arm and stretched his tense muscles as his skin frosted over in ice. In a few seconds, his whole body formed into a hard, blue ice, but he didn't feel odd. He felt free. The human body seemed to case him up in a box, and now he could finally break out in the real world for a little bit.

"We haven't heard from Cap and Spider-Man yet. Do you mind checking on them? Steve would've reported in by now," I responded over comms.

"We'll find them," Storm opened the door to the second floor, greeting some of the newly joined agents along the way. They had come up here to meet the other two heroes earlier. She nodded to them and they returned the gesture and waited there to secure the stairwell. Nothing was getting out of the building on their watch.

Iceman was about to say something to Storm until a scream came from one of the other halls, becoming louder and louder until the man's back collided with the wall and fell to the floor unconscious. Both of them ran down to the wide, open room area, and they stopped in their tracks in utter confusion.

Captain America and Spider-Man fought against some of the FBI agents. Cap bashed one in the face with his shield and knocked them down. Another came up behind him and he flipped them over in one quick move. Spider-Man aimed his webbing at some agent's feet and dragged him down to the ground. He threw web at a few others and stuck them to the wall. The agents didn't want to hurt them, but they also had to protect themselves. Captain America's veins were outlined in black, showing through the cheeks of his face. Spider-Man must've been the same way, but there was no way to tell from outside the mask.

"Uhhh….I think we found our missing members," Bobby informed me. He glanced over at Storm, who returned a concerned glance his way. Bobby put his hand to his ear to adjust his communications device. "They're fighting FBI agents. Something black is running through their veins."

The Professor chimed in before I could, "Get them under control. Whoever is here must've gotten to them first. Be on the lookout."

Storm focused her eyes on the two heroes, but then rolled up and turned white. Small clouds hung above them, and a strong wind blew in from the broken windows. Her focus was distracting them long enough for the agents to get away from them. Thunder roared over the hallway and boomed off of the walls. The two heroes' attention was taken off of the agents and they headed right towards Storm and Iceman. Storm threw lightning at Cap, but he shielded himself, sending the lightning bolt into the wall.

Iceman threw ice at Spider-Man's feet, but he jumped up and dodged them. Spidey launched webbing at Bobby's hands and succeeded. Bobby froze the webbing and tore it apart just in time to dodge one of Peter's punches. Peter scoffed and kicked him in the stomach, but quickly retracted his damaged leg. Hitting pure hard ice wasn't the best idea. Bobby's fist met his jaw and threw Peter backwards.

Storm made the wind die down and a mist swam through the air vents and into the room. Her white hair was the first to blend in until the mist thickened into a deep fog. Storm and Bobby completely disappeared from the other two's sight, causing them to search around them. Captain America and Spider-Man stood back-to-back, waiting patiently for their enemies to strike.

Iceman knocked Cap in the jaw and quickly iced his arm together with Peter's. Steve used his shield to break it, but was sent flying into the wall not soon after by ice. It glued him to the wall for a short period of time, allowing Storm and Bobby to focus on Peter.

Spider-Man sensed their moves incoming with his spidey senses, so he rapidly dashed to the side or defended himself from their attacks. He attempted to kick Storm to distract her in order to drop the fog, but she quickly noticed and moved. He punched several times, but the only contact he had was with the air. Kick, punch, swing, web, punch, move, everything he tried came up empty. She knew his moves, but that was impossible. His fighting was freestyle, hardly anyone could predict it.

That's where Storm had the upper hand. Her eyes blinked and tuned into the energy sources around her. Peter's human nervous system lit up like a shining light, allowing her to see through the thick, musty fog. Storm created a whirlwind that knocked Peter around from side-to-side. She went for his legs, but only managed to grab one of his feet. She dragged him to the ground and got his arms behind his back. Peter flipped her over into the wall and got free.

Then, the fight began.

 

I held my hand behind me and levitated Professor X up the stairs using my metal powers to manipulate his chair. Logan separated with us a little while ago, and after hearing confirmation on Cap and Spidey not being in their right minds, we began to worry when he didn't report back. I opened the door to the top floor and allowed the Professor to go in first.

He steered his wheelchair down one end of the hall. I motioned to him that I was heading the other direction to clear more ground. He nodded in agreement and went on his way. There were so many rooms on the top floor and the endless hallways only made it worse. I checked each room down one hall and only found dead agents with black liquid pooled around them. This was same MO Bobby mentioned a few minutes ago.

Worry built up in my system. This villain was powerful enough to control people. We haven't met him on the battlefield before. I retraced my memories back to the fight a week ago, trying to remember who was all there. I dragged my finger along the blood-stained wall in thought. _Loki. Ira. Omega Red. Carnage. Dr. Soul. Saturna. Venom. Juggernaut._ My mind cranked its gears; I stopped in the middle of the hallway. _There was someone else there. He was observing from afar. His face was like a toy magicians used to put people in a trance. It's gotta be him._

A sharp ting sounded off behind me.

I was pulled out of my thoughts and I turned around to face Logan. A black substance outlined his veins. He breathed heavily and his muscles flexed with every moment. An angry look settled in his bright eyes, focusing on me intensely. He waited patiently with his adamantium claws out, watching my every move.

"Logan, you aren't thinking straight. I know you can hear me in there," I calmly stated as I put my hand out. He tilted his head and squinted his eyes, almost as if he was trying to intimidate me. I wasn't going to hurt him. I couldn't. He was family. He's still there on the inside, watching this unfold. Or…at least I thought he was. I didn't make another move, but continued to talk, "You don't have to do this."

Logan growled and launched forward, moving his claws down in one swift move. I yanked out my claws and used them to shield myself. The metal scraped together, creating a loud noise that rang in our ears. He swung and swung again. I dodged and kicked his shin. He didn't go down, and used his height opportunity to slash down and hit my arm. I cringed and aimed at him, missing four times in a row.

He kicked me in the abdomen. I hit the wall, but I headbutted him when he got close. Logan stumbled for a second, but gained his footing back in a second's notice. I transformed my skin into diamond for protection and waited for him to make another move.

He attacked first. Swing. Swing.

Miss. Miss.

I took my turn next. Kick. Kick. Punch.

Miss. Miss. Success.

His adamantium claws scratched against my diamond face, and I cried out in pain. He attempted to cut through my skin, but his claws bounced back as a reaction. I swept his legs right out from underneath him and made him fall to the ground. I used the opportunity to freeze his hands to the hard tiled floor. When he was all settled in and his hands encased in ice, I transformed my skin back to its original state.

My breathing staggered and I tried to get it back on track. "Professor, I found Logan. The guy got to him too." I put my fingers against my cuts, accidentally smearing blood on my skin in the process. The cuts healed in the next few seconds, but the pain didn't fade away that quickly.

Xavier responded immediately, "Do you need help calming him down?"

Before I could tell him to just search for the guy, Logan broke out of his ice prison and yanked on my ankle. I hit the ground with a loud thud and screamed when his claw cut into my leg. I pulled my leg away and pushed myself up before he could swing again. He tackled me and put me into a headlock.

"Logan," I choked and cut into his leg. He only winced and held onto my neck tighter. I patted his arm and felt my skin turning redder by the second. _You forced me to do this._ I put my hand on his X-Men outfit and caused it to spark on fire. He panicked, let go, and rolled on the ground to put it out.

Xavier came around the corner and I motioned him to leave as I coughed up a storm. He didn't listen and kept coming closer.

Logan extinguished the fire and pulled my black hair back. I elbowed him in the shoulder while I iced one side of his face. He scratched the ice off and pushed me against the wall harshly. I punched him and kicked him in the groin, but it didn't work much. Logan aimed at my face, but I moved and he got his fist stuck in the wall instead. I jumped up and elbowed his arm. He aimed with his other fist, but I created a small portal in front of me and the exit portal behind him. He stabbed himself in the leg, causing him to kneel on the ground.

"Go find the guy! I can handle this," I ushered him to leave. I quickly dodged a strike and rolled off to the side. If anyone could fight off this villain, it was the Professor. Three of us have tried, and failed. It was time to fight fire with fire, telepath vs. telepath.

Xavier left me to fight off Logan and rolled down the other hallway. The perpetrator had to be on this level. It's not like he could walk through walls or disappear. He was here. The Professor searched room after room, each result coming up negative. With each empty room, he only grew more anxious. This guy seemed to be posing a real threat to everyone here, and if that was possible, then the whole world was in even more danger. Such strong power like that could be chaotic in the wrong hands. Xavier sat in his chair for a moment in silence and waited. There had to be something. Some definite sound to indicate where he was.

Nothing.

The hall seemed to go cold and silent. A chill swept through the Professor's body and he sensed something behind him. Xavier sucked in a breath and his face fell emotionless. This battle wasn't going to be easy, and he knew that. He gathered confidence and turned his chair around to face the villain.

That's when he saw him.


	12. Chapter 12

Professor X took action and placed a clear psyonic shield around himself. The shield protected him from anyone trying to intrude his mind or his subconscious. With teammates flipping the script and attacking others, he couldn't take the chance of letting this villain take control of him. He watched the creature calmly, investigating every inch of him in order to figure out who, or what he was.

The creature had three long fingers and twitched every now and again. A long black coat covered most of his body, rips and tears along the cloth showed he was able to put up a fight. A black and white swirling portal covered his head and shoulders, which was the most unique thing about him. The creature tilted his head to the side as if he were studying the professor as well.

Xavier had seen many mutants and villains, even gods, but nothing like him. This creature was borderline extraordinary and extremely dangerous. The professor held his stare and raised an eyebrow. Xavier questioned, "Who are you?"

The creature didn't respond and inched closer. It moved its arms swiftly, but peacefully, almost as if it was doing some kind of Tai Chi. Their surroundings shifted and melted away, causing them to be in a dark gray space. There was nothing but dead trees and dull grass around them, and no noise could be heard but the Professor's soft breathing.

"You are in my world now," the creature answered in a low, gravelly voice. He set his arms to his sides and seemed to stare at the Professor. "I am Mortuu Contreas, the subconscious eternal."

Xavier slowly rolled his wheelchair closer. "What do you want with us?"

Mortuu stayed quiet for a second. That question was always asked by one of his victims, and he always gave the same answer. This time, however, the situation was different. This wasn't on his terms. "I am indebted to one of the people I work with. Once this war is over, I am able to roam the world freely again, without worries. I am here to get my life back."

"Is all of this really worth it? You are hurting other people and helping criminals. Does a debt really matter that much to you?"

Mortuu scowled and stepped towards the Professor with ferocity. "If I can be free, then yes."

"Then I have no other choice." Xavier closed his eyes and attempted to focus on getting into Mortuu's head. The place they were in melted away, and all they were left in was complete darkness.

 

Logan's body hit the wall and collapsed onto the ground. He scraped his claws against the floor in anger; the black goo showed prominently through his bulging veins. He growled lowly and snapped his head in my direction, his fierce eyes glaring at me with intensity. Logan pushed himself up before he lunged at me.

I quickly rolled to the side and took a second to breathe. Logan was using kill moves, and that was the scary part. If he's going all in, then Steve and Peter will too. I could hear Storm and Bobby calling out to each other, move after move, but sometimes cried out when they got hit.

I threw fire at him, only to have him dodge the other way. Logan launched his clawed fist and I blocked it with my own claws. He aimed a punch one after the other, only to have it blocked. He snagged my face a bit. Blood flew to the ground and I scowled at him. I went to kick him, but he caught my foot and flipped me onto the ground.

I winced; this fight was going nowhere. None of us were going to win or give up. No one was going to die. I moved out of the way as Logan forced his claws into the floor where my head used to be. I shuffled up and forced my hands his way, launching ice out towards him. He cut right through the ice while he slashed at it. I stood my ground, waiting in anticipation for his next move as he got closer. I winced in pain and became distracted as I heard Bobby scream in pain through comms.

Logan sunk his metal claws into my abdomen, so I did the same to him. We both cried out in sheer agony, but no one backed away. We kept our positions and maintained eye contact as we sank our claws deeper into each other's flesh.

 

Xavier opened his eyes to see Mortuu staring at a figments of Wolverine, Captain America, and Spider-Man. Mortuu turned his head in curiosity and brushed his fingers against their foreheads one-by-one. He whispered something in their ears and closed their eyes. They were blind to their actions, but listened to his commands.

The Professor's eyes widened. The way this creature's powers worked was…remarkable. He's never gone into another telepath's head and seen something like this. The figments were merely puppets to Mortuu, and that made everything much more interesting. When Xavier did something, it's always like a simple Jedi mind trick. Nothing like this.

Mortuu stopped what he was doing, but stood still. His voice echoed around them, "How did you manage to get here?"

"I am stronger than you think," Xavier answered as he focused in on Mortuu. Mortuu's limbs stretched out behind him, but he quickly broke the telepathic grasp and retaliated. He locked onto the Professor and attempted to turn him against himself. He focused with all of his might, but neither man won.

Mortuu twitched and his portal-like face spun faster. He quickly pointed at Xavier and yelled, "Get him!"

The figments rushed at Xavier, eyes closed and fists ready to fight. Xavier stood his ground and showed no fear. Wolverine took out his claws, slashed at him, but fell right through him and onto the other side in a daze. Peter and Steve double teamed and went in for punches and kicks, but suffered the same failure as Logan. Xavier stared at Mortuu triumphantly, calling out, "You forget where we are. You cannot hurt me here." Xavier shadowed the figments and made Mortuu only see one.

Himself.

Mortuu backed away at his own appearance, frightened, but also taken aback. Who knows if this was the first time he had seen himself, face and all. He stumbled and focused on the object. "You're not real!" He screamed, causing the figment to tear himself apart. His portal face peeled away like slices of peeled oranges, revealing nothing but darkness. He yelled and cried out as he watched his own fingers fall off and the rest of his body fall apart. In turn, what he was doing to the figment happened to him.

Slices of Mortuu Contreas fell off, one at a time. His coat fell off his thinning body, revealing a mass of pure black darkness. It faded away into the background of his mind as he destroyed himself. The pieces simmered against the dark ground, and slowly melted away.

Professor Xavier opened his blue eyes in reality and took in a short breath. His limbs felt weak and his mind ached, but he felt accomplished. The worst was over.

 

Logan grunted and yelled as he began to lift me into the air using his claws. Blood trickled down his hand and arm, falling all the way to his outfit. I screamed and tried to keep my feet on the ground, but only my tiptoes grazed the floor.

The black goo disappeared from Wolverine's veins and his eyes returned to its bright original color. My feet rooted to the ground, and I used the opportunity to flip him over my head and onto the ground. My claws retracted back into my knuckles and the blood that was on them now stained my knuckles. I clutched my abdomen and fell onto my knees next to Logan. "Son of a bitch. That stings," I hissed through my teeth.

Logan tried to calm his breathing and closed his eyes. He furrowed his eyebrows together before groaning, "What the hell happened?"

Blood fell through my fingertips and I put pressure on my wound in order to stop it before it healed. I shook my sweaty head and shrugged. "I don't know. We have to find the others. If you came out of your trance, they must have too."

 

Uncle Ben collapsed, clutching his abdomen in distress. Peter rushed over to him and touched his hand, only to have a piece of his skin fall off. He backed away quickly in disgust, eyes wide in fear. Peter's brown eyes landed on Uncle Ben's gun shot wound, the same one he died from in reality. Uncle Ben raised his hand to Peter and a chunk of his palm slopped to the floor. "Peter…" Uncle Ben called out softly. His lips slouched to one side and fell off of his face completely. More skin fell off, and it only terrified Peter.

Tears fell down Peter's face as he watched the life escape from his uncle's eyes for the second time in his life. Spider-Man let out a cry and covered his mouth with his hand to stop himself. Something wasn't right. This had happened before. But how was he here with two people he loved most? His eyes flickered to Gwen Stacy and he jolted up from the floor.

Gwen's head started to bleed from the crown and she winced when a chunk of her hair fell out. She peered at Peter with sad eyes and a frown settled on her pink lips. "What happened, Peter? Why couldn't you catch me?" Peter tried reaching for her, but his clouded vision misjudged how close she was. His hand fell forward, barely scraping by her cheek, taking some of her skin with it. "The Amazing Spider-Man isn't so amazing. Not if he can't save the ones he loves."

 

The Howling Commandos hit the table all at once. All flat lined, beer in one hand and bullet holes in their backs. Their crimson blood stained the table and mixed together, splattering each other's faces. Their skin slid off their faces and fell onto the plates they had, joining the unfinished meals. Steve cried out and yelled as he watched his dead comrades get torn apart, limb from limb. He spun around to face Peggy, desperate to find out what was happening.

Peggy's skin started tearing in different places and peeled off. Her face had a tear in it, and only increased in size. She tore a piece off and let it fall. She set her hand on his face, accidentally rubbing her blood on his clear skin. "You shouldn't have gone down in the ice."

"Peg, what's happening?" Steve panicked. Peggy closed her eyes and took her last breath. Steve caught her as she fell, her blood staining his whole outfit. He sucked in a breath and yelled, "No! I just got you back! Peggy!"

Steve's blue eyes shot open in reality and he took in his surroundings. His erratic breathing caused his chest to rise and fall at a fast rate. He got up from his knees and looked around.

I ran into the room and instantly ran to Peter, who had tears running down his face. He clutched his mask in one hand and wiped his tears with the other. Sweat clung to his skin as he sobbed loudly. I went to hug him, but he brushed me off and backed away. I stopped dead in my tracks. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I whispered, "Peter…" Peter walked into the other hall to cool down and avoided any contact with anyone.

I peered over at Steve, who appeared disoriented. He stumbled over to the wall and clung to it to keep himself up. I stepped towards him and asked, "Are you okay?" Steve didn't make eye contact with me and just peered off into the distance. He huffed a few times and brushed back his sweaty blond hair.

Logan put his hand on my shoulder and apologized once more for what had happened. He felt horrible for fighting and injuring me, even though they didn't last long. I shook my head and forgave him. He wasn't in his right mind. That was easily forgivable. Thinking about Steve and Peter's reactions, I asked Logan, "What did you see when you weren't in control?"

Logan looked down at the ground and tightened his grip on my shoulder. His breathing sped up a bit and he bit the inside of his cheek. "My pregnant wife."

My head snapped to look at him and I replied, "I didn't know you had a wife."

"Yeah well…our marriage didn't last long. The Winter Soldier killed her," Logan scowled and walked away from me. His hands curled up into fists and turned his knuckles ghostly white from the pressure.

My breath caught in my throat at his words. Not only did he have to relive seeing her, but he had to feel the disappointment of not being able to protect her. Steve's friend has killed dozens over the years, but why her? My hazel eyes flickered to Steve and tried to comprehend why Bucky would kill Logan's wife. _What score did Hydra have to settle?_

All of us walked towards the Black Bird in silence. Everyone was exhausted or shaken up. The team had taken a hit, and it was going to be sheer luck if they recovered from it.


	13. Chapter 13

The ride back was quiet.

When we arrived back at the school, Steve walked straight passed me on the way out of the Blackbird. His face was pink from the amount of emotions he held inside, but his expression was stern as it could be. He had forced the tears back a few minutes ago, but the way his jaw clenched indicated that the trauma hadn't left him.

Storm appeared a little scratched up, but she didn't mind it. She walked next to the Professor out of the jet, lugging Logan right behind her. I was sure they were going to go discuss what had happened back there, yet I didn't want to be a part of it. There was no point. Logan was trying to deal with his emotions from seeing his dead wife again. Storm needed to rest. And as for the Professor, he just completely destroyed a villain. He deserved some down time.

Peter walked passed me as well and didn't pay attention to me at all. Bobby ushered me towards him when he saw my worried expression. "Go talk to him. We'll hang out later," Bobby patted me on the shoulder and made sure I walked out in front of him.

I nodded in agreement and worry only built up inside of me more. Peter and Steve _cried_. This was priority alert one on an urgency scale. Whatever happened, I had to help with. I tried to catch up to Peter as he rushed to his room. "Peter, please, I want to be here for you."

Peter lowered his head and kept pace ahead of me. He pushed through students just leaving class and skated through without causing any accidents. I attempted to do the same, but I bumped into some students and knocked one down. I helped them up and handed them their books, but I still couldn't catch up to Peter. Once he reached his room, he slammed the door in my face.

I sighed heavily and began to walk down the hall. There was no point in banging on the door and waiting until he let me in. This wasn't the Stark Tower where I could climb through a vent to get into the room. Peter had done that to me when I locked myself in my room. I just wish I could get through to him somehow. _Get through to him…I know just the thing._ I took out my burner phone and dialed a number.  

Deadpool picked up on the other end and muttered into the phone quickly, "Whoever this is, you have the wrong number."

I stopped him before he hung up, "Wade, wait, it's Lilly." I hated asking Wade for favors, but this was urgent. Peter was extremely important to me, and I didn't want him to suffer alone.

Wade chuckled and expressed joyfully, "Ah, Lilly. Finally taking up the offer to get back on the Wade Train?"

My face soured. _He really thinks I'd go back to him when I'm dating Captain America? Get real, Wade Wilson._ I thought to myself. I disagreed, "No. Get off your high horse. I need a favor, p-."

Wade quickly interjected and denied my request, "Whoa, last time I got asked for a favor, I ended up in someone's back yard, naked, and next to a dead body. Nuh-uh. Not again. Pretty sure I killed him. But still. No."

I internally groaned and questioned Wade's life choices. Then again, this was Wade we're talking about, so I shouldn't be surprised. I rubbed my forehead with my free hand and flat out told him the truth, "Spider-Man needs your help."

Wade dropped whatever he was holding and his chair creaked as if he leaned forward. His voice lowered into a serious tone, "You have my attention."

 _Why didn't I just open with that?_ I shook my head. Peter was his hero. I should've known to skip directly to that. I leaned against the wall next to me and looked down at the ground. "We were in battle and…his mind was taken over by one of the villains. He saw something really bad and won't talk to me. Can you please come over and talk to him?"

"Why me? Aren't there a hundred people over there? Or has the budget for extras been cut out too?"

I sat there for a moment contemplating what he meant. Confusion swept over my features, causing me to bite my lip. "What are yo-" I sighed and stopped myself. I didn't need to remind myself again who I was talking to. I glanced down the hall to see some kids heading my way out of a class. I smiled at them and tried not to look so distressed. The children didn't need to see someone who was fighting a war in distress. "Nevermind. Spider-Man trusts you. He looks up to you for some goddamn reason."

Deadpool's voice heightened in pitch and he questioned in disbelief, "Really? He does?" The creak in his chair indicated he leaned back and he let out a small chuckle.

This was the best choice I've made all day. Making two people happy made up for the chaos back there. I smiled softly at his excitement and reassured him in a soft tone, "Yeah."

Wade's voice turned suave like a reporter's and he replied, "You know, I never thought I'd live to see the day…wait, I did. I knew it would happen eventually! How could he resist my charms and my idol status?"

"Wade, you have no idol status." I rolled my eyes and stifled a laugh. The last thing he needed was me laughing at his viral image. It might make him lose some of his dignity…not that there was much left anyway. "Could you please come talk to him?"

"Sure, I can handle that, Lilly."

My eyebrows raised at the sound of my name. Wade hadn't said my name for years. I tried to cover up my surprised silence by responding in a playful tone, "What? No sugar sweet nickname this time?"

"See? You do love them." He dropped something onto the floor and got up from his chair, causing it to creak and groan as his weight lifted. "I'll be over there in a few."

I hung up the phone and sucked in a breath. _God I hope sending Wade in doesn't make it worse._ I thought and went into one of the bathrooms. I ran my hands under cold water before looking up at myself in the mirror. Blood had covered my tan face in splotches and stuck in my black hair. I cringed and tried to clean up as best I could. Blood dripped and fell into the sink, dyeing the hard material red until I washed it off.

After turning the water off, I closed my hazel eyes for a second and mustered up some energy to go comfort Steve. I hoped this would go over better than it went with Peter.

My muscles and bones ached from everything, but I surged forward and headed towards my room. I couldn't just give up on everyone now for a few hours of sleep, even if I craved it. I had to put the others' problems before mine. That's what I was going to focus on now. No more focusing on me. I can live until the end of the battle.

The door was cracked by the time I got to it. I stood by the door and listened for a moment. Steve sniffled and sobbed quietly to himself on the bed. My heart sank just hearing it. The last time he cried was when Peggy died. He was so strong for us this whole time, but this event hit home. I knocked on the door gently and called out softly, "Steve? Can I come in?"

Steve didn't say anything and wiped away his tears quickly. His blazing blue eyes were now bloodshot and puffy. His cheeks flushed of color; his nose was the only thing that was red on his face. He nodded and tried to make himself presentable, but he was still bleeding in places and starting to bruise.

"What happened back there?" I closed the door behind me as I entered and sat down on the bed. I hugged him from behind and ran my hands up and down his arm gently in an attempt to soothe him. I rested my head on his shoulder and waited for him to speak. If he didn't want to talk, he didn't have to. He just had to know I was there for him in his time of need.

He sniffled and stared at the wall across from him. He leaned in to my touch; his erratic breath calmed down to the same beat of my calm heartbeat. It was clear Steve didn't want to break down in front of me, so he just held it in. He took a few moments to just mull everything ordered before whispering, "I saw them…Peggy and the Howling Commandos. They were…they were ripped from me. Again…"

 "Steve…I'm so sorry. That must've been devastating…" I trailed off solemnly. Reliving that would have been disastrous for his emotions. I watched his eyes flicker down towards the floor and the corner of his lip tremble. I brushed my fingers against his cheek and frowned. _If he saw that, then Peter must've saw Gwen. Oh…poor Peter…_

Steve shook his head slowly. "It's not your fault. You didn't do this."

"Those were people you've lost. It's not my fault, but they were a huge part of your life that you can never get back. I know what it's like." I knew that too well. Losing my parents was hard, but eventually, I came around and accepted it. Things like this took time, but for _The Man Out of Time_ , that was the one thing he didn't have.

Steve stayed silent. His expression hardened and he chewed on the inside of his lip. He sat there thinking for a while, pulling his strength together to get through this hard time. The sorrow, the guilt, the losses, it all rushed back to him as if he just found out about his fallen comrades. He blinked back fresh tears and set his hand on mine. He ran his fingers along the palm of my hand up to my fingertips and turned to face me. Steve looked me in the eye and searched for something. An inkling of care, sadness, gentleness, love…? He stared into my eyes for a good two minutes until finally speaking up, "Don't make me lose you too in this war."

We've gone over this already. I instantly replied in a soothing tone, "Steve, you won't."

"No. I don't want to lose you as in you become one of them. A villain. Blood thirsty. Out of control. Promise me you won't."

 _He thinks I have the potential to turn into a villain. First he thought I'd turn on them, now I can become a villain? Steve..._ My stomach churned at the memory of him saying he thought I'd turn on them. That's _not_ what I want a loved one to think of me. Apparently, he thinks that lowly of me. After everything that's happened, there's no way I could turn to the dark side. I'd want revenge, sure, but to stoop as low as killing innocent people to get what I want? No. No way.

All I could do was try to fix the way he perceives me. Turn off the anger, cover up the horrible memories, and focus on the enemy. That was my priority right now. I covered up my bitterness and bit the inside of my cheek for a moment. I nodded and responded, "I…I promise."

Steve smiled a bit, showing some of his pearly white teeth. He kissed me softly and rested his forehead against mine. "Thank you."

We sat in silence for a while, embraced in each other's arms. He would grin slyly from time-to-time after looking at me, but then his eyes flickered back to sadness for a bit. He grieved for his fallen friends and I waited until he felt a little better.


	14. Chapter 14

I let Steve have his space the next day and just sat in Kitty Pryde's room. Hanging out with her had been long overdue, so I waited patiently for her to get back from teaching her class. The walls of her room were a deep purple that swirled into darker colors the closer it got to the ceiling. The ceiling was decorated with glow in the dark stars to recreate a galaxy. Kit always loved the idea of going to space. As children, we thought we would go together. Be the first women mutants to go to space…I couldn't tell if we were naïve or just had high hopes. I glanced around the room and saw papers scattered across the desk. Polaroid pictures of Kit and Bobby, Storm, Colossus, Rogue, Wolverine, and more were thumb tacked to the wall.

I sat on her bed and logged onto a guest profile on her laptop. Kitty wouldn't mind, or at least I hoped she wouldn't. I started a Skype call with Natasha, but my mind wandered off as she went into some story about Tony. Just the way Peter acted yesterday really got to me. He wouldn't open up to me, his beloved cousin, but he opened up to _Wade?_ You've got to be freaking kidding me. Then poor Logan saw his dead pregnant wife. I'd have to ask Steve later about the Winter Soldier to see if he knew anything. He was his best friend once upon a time. Then Steve…poor, poor Steve. I don't know how long it would take to get over something like what they went through.

"Hey, Lilly. You okay?"

I snapped back to reality and smiled softly. "What? Yeah, of course." I didn't want to put my troubles on Natasha. She had her own to deal with.

"You sure?" Natasha watched me carefully with her emerald shaded eyes and I nodded. She pursed her lips when she figured that I wanted to avoid that topic. She brushed her hand through her blonde hair; I noticed some of the red was coming back through her roots. She continued on with what she was talking about earlier, "The boys are driving me insane."

Being stuck in a building with Tony and Clint must've been tiring, but it couldn't be that bad. Could it? Unless Tony was fixing his suit and messing with new improvements that could explode… My face soured. "I'm sorry."

Clint perched behind Natasha in the background and told me things in sign language. He made a few funny faces before talking about his day with Nat. He went on about being able to scrounge up something for breakfast in bed and show her that within the dark times, there are some blessings of light times worth remembering. It warmed my heart to know that Clint would do something like that for her.

Natasha must not have had the small window open to see herself. She raised an eyebrow and smiled slily, "I can feel Clint doing something weird."

I laughed a bit. I mean…she wasn't wrong. I adjusted the laptop on my lap and responded, "Yeah, he's telling me some stories."

She acknowledged my answer and moved on. She could always ask him later what he told me. There was only a limited time we could talk, so might as well save every second of it. "How's everything over there?"

I sighed heavily. _Do I tell her everything? Does she already know?_ I wasn't sure if any of the others had communication with the rest of the group, but with all of the phones lying around, I'm sure they did. "As good as it's gonna get. We're a little on edge."

"That's understandable. With the situation at hand, it's hard not to be," she answered quietly. Natasha looked down at the desk she was sitting at and trailed off for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. She must've been going through a ton of stress and sleepless nights. "How's Peter?"

"He still hasn't talked to me. I tried to give him some food yesterday, but he wouldn't come out," I declared as my tone fell deeper. I wanted to be close to my cousin…not distant and pushed away. What he had gone through was traumatic. He needed someone to talk to. He needed a shoulder to cry on. He needed support.

Natasha agreed lowly, "Yeah…he sounded pretty messed up the other day."

"What happened?" I had a vague feeling that I knew, but the confirmation would make me feel a little bit more reassured.

"He saw Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy, and then watched them die all over again." Once she said that, Clint stopped making faces. The moment grew tense and no one said a thing. Nat peered back at Clint, but all he did was lower his eyes. The last thing he wanted was for his team to go through their pain again, much like he did when Loki took over his brain.

"I figured as much…" I shook my head and frowned. "He didn't tell me. I had Deadpool talk to him yesterday, but he hasn't gotten back to me on how it went."

"He's probably feeling a bit better right now. Try to talk to him."

Clint's eyebrows slanted downwards in concern and his light blue eyes looked at me. Clint signed. He twisted his fingers and moved them quickly, but the camera stalled for a second to make it in slow motion. _You look like you've been to hell and back._

I put my left hand flat against my balled up right hand. I set them next to my left shoulder and pushed down diagonally to my left hip. I tried to emphasize the motion to show it was really taking a toll on me. _Stressed._ I bit my lip for a moment and waited. I've asked Steve this question, but not Natasha. I wasn't sure if they'd have different views, but it was nice to have different opinions. "Are you afraid, Nat? About the battle?"

Natasha took a deep breath and thought about it. She mulled it over before choosing the right words to convey her opinion, "They say once you are in war, you can never go back home. I'm not afraid of the battle, or losing my friends. We all know what we signed up for. I'm afraid I'll never come home and live life again."

That…that made a lot of sense. A lot of soldiers come back to the real world with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or anxiety. We were in the same situation. Would all of us be able to come back to the real world? Would we be stuck in the perpetual darkness of our memories? I always thought Steve had a little PTSD from World War II and his experiences, but he tried his best to hide them.

Just before I was going to reply, Kitty came into the room and a surprised expression covered her face. Her brown hair was tied up into a ponytail and her hazel eyes stuck on me. "Oh, I didn't know you'd be in here." She closed the door behind her and stood in her spot, adjusting her blue jacket. She kicked off her white sneakers and brushed her hands over her blue jeans and purple shirt.

I sat up on the bed and told Nat, "Hey, I have to go."

The corner of Nat's lip lifted and she softly said, "Bye."

I waved my hand at Clint and he waved goodbye sadly. I signed to him, _Stay strong Hawkeye._ I felt bad for having to leave them so early. We hadn't seen each other in days, but it seemed much longer than that. I closed the laptop and set it to the side. I looked up at Kitty, and found her expression turn to distress. I waved Kit over to sit on the bed, worry clear in my voice, "What's up, Kit?"

Kitty rung her hands nervously as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She took a moment to think. Kit inched towards the middle of the bed and crossed her legs. Her voice wavered, but only for a second, "Have you ever gotten a feeling like something bad is going to happen, but you don't know when?"

I sat closer. I knew what she felt. I just had to take a different approach to this. It's one thing for me to be negative, but I have to help others feel positive. Otherwise, what was the point of being a hero? "Yeah, it comes with the job."

"I…I'm really nervous." Kitty bit the inside of her cheek and looked directly into my eyes. "I know we've fought horrible things before, but this…this is our nation we're talking about. The state of the world. This is our future."

I thought back to what Natasha said. She was fearless when it came to losing people. All she cared about was maintaining her own sanity. I respected that. It seemed a bit selfish, but Natasha was hard enough to suck it up and move on. Or, at least, that's what she wanted people to think. I tried to tap into the same confidence. "Kit, don't be. We'll have each other's backs."

Kit put her hands up in the air and talked while using hand motions to express her concern, "Maybe that's not it. What if this is about Bobby? What if this is about our team?"

Was she focusing on the group as a whole, or was she covering up the fact she was worried about Bobby? I set a hand on hers and asked, "What do you mean?"

"What if they die? What if Bobby _dies_? What am I going to do?" Kitty's hazel eyes widened in horror. Her cheeks flushed of color and her fingers began to tremble.

Panic jolted through my system and I set my hands on her shoulders quickly. She was freaking out and I had to put a stop to this until she went into full panic mode. "Everything's going to be all right," I reassured her. I peered right into her eyes and blew my black hair out of my face. I felt the same way, but I sucked it up to help her.

Kitty glanced away and changed the subject, "If Steve were to die, what would you do?"

I didn't even need to think it over. I could see it now. Rage. Depression. I would murder every enemy in sight until I broke down…but that's the exact thing I promised I wouldn't do. No matter who bites the dust, I couldn't lose myself to the bloodlust. "I don't know what I would do."

Kit was taken aback slightly and arched an eyebrow. Her lips moved until the words finally came out, "Really? You of all people wouldn't?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I backed up and took my hands off of her shoulders. _Don't tell me everyone thinks this lowly of me._ I frowned and looked at her in dismay.

"You just always have this way of channeling your anger."

I scoffed and looked away. I hated it. Hated the fact that people thought this about me. For future reference, I'd have to keep my emotions on the inside. Don't let the anger get the best of me. Maybe then they will change their minds. I moved on to evade the subject. "As long as we stay smart about things, we'll be fine."

 We both stayed silent. We let the comments sink in, let the silence purify our minds of our doubts as we tried to move on. The battle was going to be soon. We had to be ready for it. Kit spoke up after a long pause, "I'm supposed to meet Bobby in five minutes. We're going ice skating. Do you want to join us?"

The memories came back to me like a flash flood in a valley. Hanging out with Kitty and Bobby on a daily basis…the Three Musketeers. That's what Logan used to call us. We'd wander down the halls or run outside. Play with our powers and pull pranks on each other. Those fleeting childhood moments will be cherished now more than ever. But it was also time to make some more. I smiled softly. "I'd love to."


	15. Chapter 15

"Barton, on your six!" I called out through communications.

Hawkeye spun around quickly and shot an arrow directly at Carnage. The arrow blew up in the creatures face, causing it to jerk backwards in surprise. Barton took a step too far and fell off of the building, but quickly managed to spin around. He aimed another arrow at Carnage. Clint exhaled. Then, he released it. The arrow exploded into black putty and stuck Carnage to the ground. Carnage screeched loudly and attempted to bite the putty off. "Okay. This looks bad," Clint declared as he fell through the air.

"I got you Big Bird," Tony remarked as he flew through the air in his Iron Man suit. He put his thrusters on high and managed to catch Barton before he hit the ground. Tony set him down on the busy battlefield.

Barton nodded in acknowledgement as a 'thank you' and went on to observe the battlefield. Uptown DC was a wreck. Buildings engulfed in flames. Streets littered with cars, loose papers, trash, and blood. The heavy smell of dirt, sulfur, and rotten flesh hung in the air. People hid inside of safe buildings just to stay away from the fight. They were controlled by fear that Loki caused.

Iron Man flew off and distracted Loki, who laughed at Shadow Cat's attempts to trick him. Ira fought hand-to-hand with Black Widow. Deadpool dashed around Omega Red while mocking him. I would tease Wade and land a hit on Omega Red at times. Juggernaut collided with Beast and proceeded to have a competition of rough strength. Clint saw the mismatched opponents and came up with a better solution in his head. He ordered over comms, "Echo, I need you over here with Loki. Shadow Cat, you're with me. I think I figured something out with Carnage."

I made a wall of ice in front of me to block Omega Red's next attack. One of his adamantium whips slashed through the ice with ease, and sent ice shards into the air. I rolled to the side and watched as Wade came up behind him. Deadpool tried to slice him on the back with one of his katanas, but the sword snapped as it collided with Omega Red's metal skin. My hazel eyes widened and I responded to Clint, "Little busy here. Why do I need to move?"

Clint whined playfully, "Because I'm in chaaaarge." He chuckled to himself and, without looking, shot an arrow at Omega Red. It went off at his feet, causing smoke to rise in the air. Smoke bomb. Clint was pleased with himself. "Cap put me in charge of the Avengers on this mission. Someone has to guide you guys in strategic advances."

I scoffed and avoided a random attack from Omega Red, "It could've been me, you know."

Carnage ripped free from the putty, taking chunks of the tall building along with it. The alien symbiote locked eyes with Clint before it forced its claws into the side of the building and slid down. Hawkeye aimed a few regular arrows at Carnage. Exhale. Release. Exhale. Release. The two arrows hit Carnage right in the back, but the symbiote yanked the arrows right out and broke them in half. Clint winced at seeing his equipment torn and responded, "I've been with the team longer."

Black Widow watched Ira's every move. Her green eyes flickered from Ira's hand to her angry gray eyes. Nat remained calm, her breathing steady. They hadn't come in contact yet, just walked in a circle, eyeing each other closely. Nat scolded her two teammates, "All right, children. Enough bickering. Get back to fighting."

Clint and I agreed simultaneously, "Yes ma'am." We didn't want to get on Natasha's bad side. Not now, not ever. That was a side for missing and dead people. We would probably wind up in the latter.

Carnage hit the ground and charged at Hawkeye. Its large white eyes focused on Clint and didn't look away. Its red and black symbiote skin formed an axe on its right hand. Clint aimed a rocket arrow and it collided with the symbiote's axe hand. Carnage shrieked and bounded once more towards the super hero. Clint held his hand out to Shadow Cat, who ran his way. She halted immediately and waited. Clint shot another arrow at the creature. The arrow released a sonic boom, which sent Carnage into immense pain. The creature clutched its head where its ears would be and shrieked loudly.

Hawkeye exclaimed at the discovery, "Loud sound. That's what affects him!" Shadow Cat ran over to him and gave him a high five. One discovery down. A lot more to go.

Carnage raised its arms in anger and bellowed a deep war cry. The hair-like things frayed from his body and seemed to stick to things he was by. Some of them joined together to form extra appendages. It barreled towards Hawkeye and Shadow Cat. Clint broke his bow down into two stun batons and waited until they came in contact. Kitty licked her lips in anticipation. This enemy was much different from anything she's seen.

Deadpool took on full control of the fight with Omega Red once I left. He smirked underneath the red and black mask and dodged when one of the adamantium whips came his way. He was sorely disappointed one of his katanas broke, but he had a spare at home. Hell, he had dozens of weapons just waiting for this douchebag in the next fight. Wade equipped one of the small semi-automatics strapped to his back and shot at the enemy. He chanted with each breath, "One, two, three, four. I declare an actual war."

"You are weak. You are _nothing_!" Omega Red yelled out in sheer anger. He swung his hand to the left, causing the whip to collide with Wade's side. Omega's red eyes watched as Wade flew a few yards away.

Deadpool stopped rolling on the ground and slowly stood up. His side drooped, and only then did he realize some of his side had been ripped away. He scowled and grabbed one of his grenades, "Oh, you're going to regret that, douche face." He released the grenade at the enemy and sprinted over there as soon as it exploded.

Juggernaut aimed to punch Beast, but Beast caught his hand. Beast grit his sharp teeth and attempted to push back. Juggernaut was stronger and slowly pushed Beast in the other direction. He kicked Beast's leg out from underneath him, but Beast hopped backwards and caught himself.

Beast narrowed his blue eyes and growled at Juggernaut. He released his claws from his furry blue hands and went in for a scratch to the face. Juggernaut turned his head, causing the claws to scratch along the metal helmet. Jugg raised his hand and punched Beast right in the chest, causing him to fly across the battlefield.

Ira made the first move. She put her hands up and balled them into fists before swinging at Natasha. Natasha blocked the move and quickly retaliated with a kick to the side. She forced her body around in a jump to kick Ira in the face as well. Ira stumbled backwards and felt her bleeding cheek. Natasha smirked devilishly before going in for another hit. Ira dodged and rolled to the side. She hit Natasha in the leg and twisted her arm around. Black Widow launched Ira over herself and kicked her while she was down.

Loki's icy blue eyes flickered between Tony and I. He sucked in a breath between his sly smile and aimed the scepter at Tony. Tony flew up before the bolt of blue light could hit him and retaliated with a shot of his own. Loki backed up from the shot, causing it to hit the earth next to him. I launched fire at him, knowing he would dodge it by moving to the right. I blocked his next move and got close enough to punch him. Loki's image vanished when my fist collided with it, and I stood there confused for a second.

Loki yanked my ponytail back and I was sent to the ground. He thrust the scepter down at my stomach. I rolled to my left and threw ice at the scepter. The metal was heated enough to melt it quickly, causing my eyebrows to dive in confusion. He aimed for another attack until Tony came back and shot a bolt of energy at him. Loki flew a little ways away and scowled at the two of us.

Images of Loki appeared before us and all of them laughed sinisterly. Tony and I attempted to work our way towards the real Loki until we lost sight of him. "Shit," I whispered to myself. I searched around at all of the images to see if any of them were different, but none were.

Kitty dashed up to Carnage while it was running and phased right through it. Carnage appeared confused and lost its footing, accidentally sliding across the street. Kit camouflaged herself using her powers. She was unseen by the naked eye. She moved up to Carnage and punched it in its long jaw. It growled and bit in front of itself, but by that time, Kit had vanished. She reappeared behind it and stabbed it with a piece of metal she found on the ground. Carnage shrieked and turned around to punch her, but she had already disappeared.

She continuously had the upper hand. Vanishing. Reappearing. Vanishing. She laughed when the creature got frustrated with her actions. She phased through him once more, and this time it cried out in pain. She disrupted his physical being's molecules for a split second by walking through him. Carnage took a second to get a grasp on what was happening. Once Shadow Cat reappeared, He caught her by the arm and twisted it. Kit cried out in pain and he launched her across the battlefield like a ragdoll.

Deadpool made fun of Omega's red Russian outfit to try to distract him. Omega yelled out and punched Wade in the arm. Wade's arm became putty after hearing his bone snap under the pressure. Deadpool used his other arm to fight. He took a sub-machine gun off of his back and shot it at the enemy. Omega tried to swat Deadpool's weapon away with his whips, but Wade dodged every time.

Wade got close enough to fight him hand-to-hand. One punch. Two punch. Three punch. Four. Omega almost let him think he had the upper hand until he kicked Wade down to the ground. Omega Red knew better than to fight with some pipsqueak. He was trained in many hand-to-hand combat techniques. This guy in a red and black tight suit thought he could undermine him? No. That was wrong.

Beast had enough of Juggernaut's smile and laughter each time he was undermined. Beast let out a roar before pounding the ground with his fists. He created a shockwave that knocked everyone off balance for a moment. This allowed Beast to lunge at Juggernaut and punch him under the jaw. Jugg stumbled back and took another hit to the neck. Beast scratched Jugg's arms and neck in fast swings. He had enough of Juggernaut's bullying.

Tony went to go help Deadpool crack into Omega Red's metal skin, leaving me alone with Loki. Loki stared at me, sweat falling down his pale face. The calculating look in his eye told me he was thinking of how this would play out. Whether he would win or lose against me. Whether the whole battle was already lost. Or maybe….maybe that wasn't it at all.

I lunged for him and he slashed the scepter's blade across my face. I hissed and kicked his arm, but he didn't lose grip on the weapon. I grabbed the weapon by the staff to make sure he couldn't hit me with it and kicked him in the gut. Loki fired the scepter, the blast colliding with Carnage. Carnage screamed and howled into the thick atmosphere, echoing over our comms. All of us cringed at the immense sound and cried out for a split second.

Carnage's distraction allowed Clint and Kitty to get the upper hand. Omega Red glanced over at Loki, for he thought Loki had done it on purpose. A sense of betrayal swept over his features, and suddenly doubt erupted into his thoughts. Ira kept fighting, ignoring Loki's accidental hit. She had enough confidence that it was an accident. She was the only one on the team that thought so.

Loki stumbled back and his breathing became shallow. He knew what he had to do. I turned my skin into diamond and sprinted towards him. I wanted to tackle him, but he shot the scepter off once more and it collided with my chest. I flung backwards and hit the ground, an immense pain shooting up my chest. My breath hitched and I coughed loudly. I couldn't let him have the upper hand.

I created a pink portal next to me and released a blue one behind him. I threw fire at him before I leapt into the portal, landing behind him. My hand reached out to grab his hair, but the image before me flickered and faded. I quickly looked around the battlefield and saw Loki retreating angrily towards the White House. He called out to the others in a satisfied tone, "Fall back! We've gotten enough information."

The enemies slinked back in the direction he was going. All of us fired at them as they left. Arrows, fire, ice, energy blasts, grenades, bullets, it all flew towards them. The ammo came in contact with some of them, wounding their sides or arms. They screamed out, but kept running behind Loki.

All of us finally had a second to breathe. That battle was full of silence, which we weren't used to. We were so focused on fighting that we forgot talking was an option. Barton leaned against me and I held him as he took out his hearing aid to massage his ear. I wiped some sweat off my face, mixing the remaining dirt and sweat into my skin. I cringed and tried to steady my fast heart rate.

Natasha exhaled and bent over to rest her hands on her thighs. Deadpool touched his wounded side and watched as it slowly healed through the ripped fabric. Kitty ran her hands through her sweaty hair.

Tony took off his helmet and inhaled the semi-fresh air. Bags were under his tired brown eyes. He groaned out loud, "Did he just say what I think he just said?"

Beast ruffled some of his dirty blue fur out and grit his teeth. He was hungry, exhausted, and above all, pissed off. What the villains just displayed was a coward move, but it was the right one. There had to be some way he could use this battle as a reference to dive into some of their motives. He replied to Tony's confusion, "They must've been studying out moves. You can't fight the same villains you fought today. They'll instantly recognize your fight techniques."

This battle was supposed to be a game changer for us. We had the upper hand, but in the end, it only gave the villains information on us. We now had experience with fighting them, but it wasn't enough. There was still questions left unanswered. What could pierce through Omega Red's skin? How could we defeat Carnage? Surely sonic booms would deafen all of us if used enough. Venom was in the same boat. Ira could be an easy target, but teamed up with Loki? Might not end too well. Dr. Soul and Saturna were oddballs. We'd only fought them once. Juggernaut? Well…let's just say he's not one of the brightest bulbs. Hulk could take him on in a heartbeat.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times. I licked my lips, desperate for water. I exhaled and sighed, "Great. Just…great."


	16. Chapter 16

My hands trembled lightly. I wrung my hands, rubbing my thumb against the palm each time. I paced around the hall, lost in thought. All I could hear was the screaming from that day in Chicago. The violence. The slaughter. The anguished cries of the lost. It rang through my head like a horrible little lullaby, hummed to the tunes of destruction. I sighed. I told myself I wouldn't focus on my internal struggle, but the thoughts always lingered in the back of my mind. I relived the scene every day.

Everything was only going to get worse.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and walked towards Peter's room. It was time to finally confront my cousin. We needed to talk. One on one. No avoiding it anymore.

I passed by a few students on the way and put on a smile for them. Their eyes were bright, full of knowledge and slight fear for the future. Behind that fear was a gleam in the iris of their beautiful eyes. Hope. Even if they feared their future would hold treacherous events,  they knew they could count on us heroes to make sure they would make it out safely. I slowly came up to a stop when I noticed Peter's door was ajar. I quietly stepped forward and listened in on what he was doing.

A man's voice played on the speaker of a laptop, "There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day. And because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero…never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith. Ain't that a bitch."

Peter sniffled and wiped his watery brown eyes. He put his hand over his mouth after he clicked to pause the end of the video. "I'm finally able to catch up on this show, and this happens?" He whispered to himself in disbelief. He rubbed his tear-ridden face with his gray long sleeved shirt. Peter stopped when he felt the texture of his robotic hand and stared at it for a few seconds. A broken expression swept across his features and he let out another sob. He flexed the metal fingers slowly, then clenched his hand into a fist.

I knocked on the door softly and called out, "Peter?" I pushed the door open enough to pop my head into the room. I almost choked when I inhaled the foul stench of pure dude. That's when I grimly remembered he hadn't left the room in a while.

Peter was wrapped up in a big gray blanket on his bed like a Jedi master. He closed the laptop that lay in front of him and wiped away his tears quickly. He sniffled a few times and wiped his running nose with the back of his hand. "What do you want?"

"We need to talk…" I sat down on the cushiony bed before he could refuse.

Peter didn't move a muscle and stared down at the plain comforter. His swollen eyes fixated on the fabric as he mustered up the words, "I told you I don't want to talk about it."

My hazel eyes locked on his dark state and I frowned. This conversation was not going to be easy. I played with my thumbs and scratched at some peeling skin. I insisted, "Peter, please. You need to talk about it. You need to confide in me. I was in this kind of situation before and you remember what you did? You-"

He cut me off and spoke softly, as if the memory soothed him, "I climbed into a vent and landed in your room. I remember."

The corners of my mouth lifted a bit and I chuckled, "You did everything you could to make me feel better." I restrained myself from reaching over to him. If I tried to do anything, he might stop me altogether. _Keep calm and collected._ I continued to explain, "I know what it feels like, Peter. To have your head tricked into seeing something. To have doubts and sorrows. To see events so frightening that it throws you off. I'm going through this everyday."

I inhaled sharply and almost coughed. I closed my eyes for a second. "I've said this a thousand times. I've thought of it twice as much. We're bound to lose people. This is a war. I'm so sorry th-"

"I saw Gwen…" Peter interjected. I dropped what I was going to say and became silent. Peter set the blanket to the side and hunched over, rubbing his face a few times before he continued. "I saw her and Uncle Ben. I physically touched them. It was so real…" He stopped rubbing his face and swallowed hard. His watery eyes glanced up at mine, broken and full of remorse. "I watched them die all over again. Gwen was right. I can't be the Amazing Spider-Man if I can't even save the ones I love…"

"That isn't your fault, Peter."

He wiped his eyes with the front end of his shirt. His sniffles became more erratic as he broke out into a sob. "You don't know! I…I was the reason Uncle Ben was out that night. If I just didn't leave, he wouldn't have gotten killed. And Gwen…oh my god, Gwen…I could've saved her. I could've. I just wasn't fast enough."

My heart snapped in two. Peter hadn't just started living with this. He's lived with the pain and the regret since they died. I don’t blame him. Deaths aren't taken lightly all the time. Sometimes, they creep into everything. Thoughts. Dreams. Anything they can get their inky black hands on. He's been going through what I have this whole time.

I opened my arms and motioned for him to come to me. After a few seconds, he complied and hugged me tightly. He sobbed with each breath he took, his whole body shaking each time. I rubbed his back gently to comfort him. I rested my head on his shoulder and quietly declared, "Even if you could have saved them, maybe it just wasn't meant to happen. _Everything happens for a reason._ Aunt May always says that."

He sucked in a sharp breath and buried his head into my collar bone as he nodded. "Even after everything that's happened, Aunt May is still standing strong."

"Which is how both of us should be. We shouldn't worry on what might have been. Let's focus on what we can do better in the future." Taking that advice would be tough to implement. Focusing on the future took a lot of will power and a lot of concentration. "I know things won't get better right away, but there is hope. There always is."

Peter sniffled and stifled a sob. Tears softly fell onto my shoulder and soaked through my shirt. He inhaled deeply and spoke in a nasally voice, "Thanks, Lilly. For being here, and all."

"Any time." I sighed contently and smiled a bit. He backed out of the embrace and I brushed some of his tears away. I couldn't stand to see him this way. I was just glad that this took his mind off of his arm. If he thought about that, it would be much worse. I patted his shoulders with both hands. "I know exactly what will cheer you up."

 

I dragged Peter to the depths of New York City. It had taken a few hours to get here and _not_ be noticed, but it would all be worth it. Bright lights, bustling life, busy traffic, not a lot had changed since the government was taken down. New York was still the city that never sleeps. My cousin moved as slow as a sloth, so I hooked my arm with his and pulled him along.

We ended up in a run down apartment building. Music blasted from the first floor. Someone was having a party. Trash littered the ground and mysterious stains covered the hardwood floor of the hall. We pushed passed the mingling partiers, and I tried not to inhale the heavy stench of alcohol and sweat that hung in the air. Peter ducked his head down and he couldn't help but to look at the glove that covered his left robotic hand.

I tugged him up a couple flights of stairs and wound up at a door. The walls on the hall were an awful old yellow floral design. They were faded and covered in gunk from all of the years they've been up on the walls. I cringed. Didn't like it the first time I saw it, and I still don't. It was gross. At least the floor was clean on this story of the building. The whole hall smelled of dirty diapers and ungroomed pets. Some of the neighbors never had enough money to do a lot in their lives. I've tried helping them out before, but they didn't want the help. I knocked on the scratched up door in front of us.

Peter shifted his weight to his other leg and looked around hesitantly. He knit his eyebrows together and sent me a questioning look. His brown eyes shown how genuinely confused he was. "Who lives here? It's like Edgar the Bug from Men in Black took over this place."

"You don't know the half of it." I unhooked my arm with Peter's and knocked on the door once more. I shoved my hands in my black jacket pockets and waited patiently for another moment. "I brought you here to make you feel better."

"By letting me catch a disease? Great present, Lil," Peter joked and nudged me a little. He didn't laugh, but just having him joke around was enough. It was an improvement from earlier.

I rolled my eyes. "I see that you still have your sass." I pursed my lips and was losing patience. I knew he was home. Was he too lazy to open the damn door? I didn't have a key.

"Can't get rid of such a good talent."

I chuckled to myself before banging on the door. If that wouldn't get his attention, there was only one last resort, and I didn't want to stoop down that low. Not only was it demeaning, but it also meant getting his hopes up, and I didn't want to do that.

Deadpool swung the door open halfway and pointed a pistol at me. I stayed still and smiled at him. He tilted his head a bit and happily declared, "Lilly? Got to say, that's a nice surprise. After last time, I didn't thin-" Once Wade saw Peter, he immediately paused. Deadpool made a quiet high pitched noise and cleared his throat. "And you brought Spidey. This surprise got a million times better, no offense."

I raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the gun that was still pointed at me. "Are you going to invite us in, or are you going to shoot me?"

"That would be a pretty twisted payback for the times you've shot me, but sadly, no. I'm not going to." Wade put the gun in his gun holster and walked inside. He put his arms up to show us the place and turned around to face us. "Welcome to casa de Wade!"

Seeing the first impression that came to Peter's face was priceless. He attempted not to grimace, but there was no point. He had to. He couldn't help it.

At least one panel on every wall was broken to show the wooden structure. Magazines and books littered the corners of the room and the coffee table. A pale brown leather chair sat in front of a television screen. On the wooden side table was a lamp and a wired telephone. Three sets of chairs were on both sides of the television to allow space for the rare guests Wade had. A few neon signs hung high on the sickly yellow walls. Boxes, a table, and a bookshelf were pushed against opposite walls. Dark red rugs covered the brown hardwood floors. A disgusting bathroom was on the left, and thankfully, the door was closed. The kitchen was next to that, but the lights weren't on in there, so we couldn't see much. The overwhelming smell of stale pizza emanated from it. Wade's room hung to the right, but the door was closed.

"Whaddya think?" Wade questioned as he looked at Peter.

Peter immediately covered up his facial expression and shrugged. "It's a man cave, all right. Surprisingly one of the nicest I've seen." He wished that was a lie, but the only man cave he was in was comprised of a few cardboard boxes for furniture and a floor television.

"Really?" Wade straightened himself out and fixed the back of his mask.

The next second, he spoke in a high pitched voice, " _He likes our crib!_ "

Wade relaxed and spoke in a deep, low voice, " **I'm surprised you've learned what the word _crib_ means.** "

In his regular voice, he added on, "We explained it to him last time. Come on. Keep up."

Peter leaned over to me and quietly asked, "Is he okay?"

I shrugged. "Probably not. This is _Wade_ we're talking about."

Deadpool snapped out of it and shook himself out of his daze. "Beer?"

I nodded before Peter could answer. Wade always became more laid back while drinking. Even if it didn't effect his system that much, it was the nostalgic feeling of getting intoxicated a little bit that made him chill. He came back with three beers and we cracked them open as we sat down. The chairs were worn in, but pretty comfortable.

Peter brushed off the weirdness from earlier and found this the perfect opportunity to change the conversation. As long as it wasn't a topic about himself, Peter was content. "How did you two meet, Wade?"

Deadpool moved his mask up to above his lips so he could relax. He put a leg over one of the arm rests and sat back in his chair. He cleared his throat after taking a swig of his drink, and began in a sing-song tune, "It all started on a hot summer night, had me a blast…"

I corrected him playfully, "It was winter."

"I met a girl, crazy for me."

"Tell me more, tell me more, did you get very far?" Peter enunciated every word in a half-joking, half-mocking fashion. I glared at Wade for a second before he could answer. This was an opportunity Wade felt compelled to answer truthfully. Perfect timing to embarrass me.

Wade acknowledged my glare and kept his cool. He scoffed and pointed his pistol lazily over at his television set. "That fucking song is stuck in my head. It's catchy, but I almost shot my TV when it came on."

"So what happened?" Peter took a sip of the beer. He stuffed his left hand in his gray sweater's pocket to keep it out of sight.

"I saw her fighting some hot chick, and well," Wade leaned closer to Peter to give him a good look, "you don't break up a chick fight."

I scoffed as I remembered that night. Cold snowy night. Blood stained the ally way snow. The girl I fought had a few guns with her and I managed to escape with one gun shot wound. She was some spy sent from an important political figure that I crossed. I don't want to get into those details. That's a whole other story itself. I added onto the conversation, "So he stood on the sideline and gave commentary the whole time."

Deadpool gave a hearty laugh and took another drink. Some of the beer slipped down the corner of his mouth as he spoke in excitement, "It annoyed Lilly so much that she sucker punched the girl in the jaw. Complete K.O. It was hot."

I ignored the last statement. "Then he bought me a drink." The dive bar was only quiet that night because it was midnight. All the drunks had nearly gone home before last call. Smelled of piss and beer in there, but what was new in a run down bar?

"When I heard her name for the first time, I realized she was the same woman Logan was trying to keep me away from." Wade set his pistol down on the side table and finished off the bottle in his other hand. "Needless to say, I talked her ear off that night."

I finished the story in one quick statement, "And I stabbed him before I left."

Peter almost choked on his beer and coughed for a second. He collected himself fully before blurting out, "You what?"

I saw Peter's concern and had to emphasize. I couldn't let him think I'd stab anybody I meet. "I _knew_ he had the healing factor. Logan warned me about him." Plus, it was fun to stab Wade after he hit on me for the tenth time. A little satisfaction goes a long way. I moved my black curly hair to one side and finished the rest of my bottle. "We live in the same city. It's hard not to run into people."

Deadpool turned to the wall ahead of us, pointed at it, and started speaking, "Psst. You! Yeah, you reading! Echo over here brought up a good point. It's strange how all of these heroes live in the same city, but we hardly run into each other!"

Wade agreed in a small, high pitched voice, " _Yeah, what he said!_ "

Deadpool set the bottle down on the table and declared lowly, " **Maybe the writer is saving that for the next book.** "

Wade finished off his conversation by rubbing his melted chin in contemplation. "Interesting…" He shook his finger at the wall and laughed deeply, "You guys are in for a treat."

"Is he…" Peter trailed off in confusion.

I rubbed my temples and finished his statement, "Talking to a wall? Yeah…"

Wade talked our ears off for the next hour. Each of us had a drink and shared stories in between fits of laughter. There was one point where Peter was telling a story and Wade listened intently, hanging on to his every word. It was definitely a sight to see. Soon, it started getting really late and we had to leave. We bid our goodbyes until next time and walked out of the filthy apartment.

I shivered and grimaced, "I can't stand to be in that germ infested place."

"If I took a black light to the place, it would probably all light up," He cringed at the mere thought of it and shook himself out. "He's not that bad of a guy, though."

"Yeah, I know. He has his moments..."

Peter stopped me at the foot of the stairs and hugged me. He rested his head on my shoulder, even though he had to lean down to do it. Peter waited a long few seconds before he declared quietly, "Thanks for everything."

"Anytime, Peter. I'll _always_ be here for you."


	17. Chapter 17

The school's library was quiet. Well…what library wasn't? Bookshelves lined the floor. Papers scattered around, even on the ground. Finals were coming, so the school was a little more chaotic than usual. It also helped get their minds off of the chaos of the outside world. Students scattered across tables in the room, dozens of books laid out on each surface. Some typed away at laptops. Others studied their notes. Some slept. Others ate. They all had one thing in common.

They looked as exhausted as I felt.

My eyes landed on Steve, who was reading a book at a table near one of the walls. His chest rose and fell quickly, almost as if he was about to lash out on someone. His jaw locked tight, nostrils flaring as he took in oxygen. His bright blue eyes glued to the words on the page, but didn't move. He wasn't reading at all, as if he were stuck on one part. Maybe a word rang in his mind and reminded him of something else. Maybe his mind wandered into uncharted territory. Anything was possible. When his hand started to turn a ghostly white from pressure, I made my way to him.

I pulled out a chair and sat down across from him. I blinked my eyes a few times to sway the sleep away. I ran my hands through my hair and asked, "What's wrong?"

Steve closed the book loudly. It scared everyone in the room, causing them to jump in their seats. He ducked his head out of sheer embarrassment and pushed the book aside. He spoke up quietly, a hint of anger in his voice, "Getting rid of Red Skull was too easy. He disappeared right before the blast. Now, he's on the loose. That's on us."

Okay. I could handle this. He's dealt with my short comings. Now, time to deal with his. I nodded. "I agree…"

Steve's brow furrowed at that. I had trailed off, without another word. Far too unusual for me. He licked his lips and tilted his head in confusion. "…But?"

"Does there need to be one?" I leaned back in my chair, eyeing him with an eyebrow raised. I was too tired. Too tired to fight. Too tired to think. If he needed to vent, I was all ears, but not to argue.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes, "With you? Yes."

The words that came out of my mouth seemed sharp, but to the point. "I'm not in the mood to argue, Steve."

"We don't have to fight. I'm just..." He paused shortly, closing his eyes at what he was going to say. "…not in the right mindset right now to have a regular conversation."

Exhaustion to high hell had taken over anyway. Maybe it was for the best that we didn't talk right now, as much as it pained me to think about. We weren't at our best. I sucked it up and tried to leave him with some helpful words. "Look at me." He hesitated, but looked at me after a few seconds. "You did all you could in that fight against Red Skull. He got away…Yes. That's on us." I cracked a smile, realizing he was right. There always was a 'but'. It was inevitable with me. "…But that doesn't mean we can't finish what we started. We'll find him. We'll get justice. For now, don't let it bother you. We have other villains to worry about."

Steve bit his tongue. His fist clenched at the memory of Peggy and what happened to her. He vowed to himself that there would be hell to pay. Things would have to stay legal…but he would get justice all the same. Steve rubbed a finger along his jaw and dropped his hand onto the table. "I'm going to find him eventually and make sure he goes to trial for what he's done."

 _He didn't say kill him. I'll take that as a good sign._ I set my hand on top of his and locked eyes with him. "He will get what he deserves. _We'll_ make sure of it." There was no way I was going to let him do this alone.

Steve's chair creaked as he stood up. "I have to work out. Stay here. Sleep. Looks like you need it." He referred to the bags under my eyes. Steve walked around the table and rubbed my shoulder as he passed by.

I set my head on my crossed arms. The table was cold, but smooth. My aching head welcomed the change in temperature and I sighed contently. Sleep sounded so good, almost like a dream in itself. The more I thought about it, the more in tuned to the environment I became.

Students flipped pages of books. Typed furiously on their laptops. Coughed. Snorted, withholding laughter. Bubbles rose from a soda that was just poured from a bottle, the sizzling foam crawling down the cup. Someone tisked their tongue against the roof of their mouth. Another snored loudly across the room. An aroma of sweet pumpkin bread filled the room after a student took it out of a ziplock bag.

A low groan rose from my throat. I sat up slowly and slunk back into my chair. I couldn't sleep. Too many noises. I closed my eyes in defeat. No rest for the wicked, I suppose. And right now, I couldn't think of myself as anything but that.

Someone sat down in the chair next to me. "Can we talk?"

I opened my hazel eyes and looked over. Jake. _Surprised he isn't with Peter right now._ With a slow nod, I responded, "Sure, Jake. What's up?"

Jake fumbled with his hands for a moment. He furrowed his brow in thought. His lips moved wordlessly, until he cleared his throat. His blue eyes glanced around the room nervously. "Can I trust you?"

I sat up straighter in my chair. This must be really important if he's asking such a vague line. My eyes locked on his as I nodded reassuringly. "Yes, you can."

A few moments passed, and he only became more shaky. He bit his lip, released it, then dragged his hands down his face in torment. Jake lowered his voice, "I…I haven't told anyone other than Professor X."

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" I raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer to him. This kid was worrying me. Was he about to confess to a murder? A crime? Something dastardly? Maybe it was something simple. Something he'd be too scared to share out loud.

"I-I…" Jake stopped abruptly and tore his eyes away. He ran a hand through his short black hair. "Nevermind, this is stupid."

"Jake, it isn't stupid if it's important to you."

Silence took over again, holding us hostage. The other kids in the library weren't paying attention, but I wasn't sure if they were still listening. Eavesdropping was a hobby of mine, and for other students? It could be the same, especially during a tough time like this. Jake's eyes flickered back to me, watching my reaction to see if I was telling the truth. He turned his face away from the students' line of sight and whispered, "I'm…" He took a deep breath and wrung his paling hands. "I'm gay."

I smiled softly and set my hand on his arm gently. "I'm glad you're trying to open up to others about it."

A confused expression quickly set over his face. He tilted his head and quirked an eyebrow. "You're…okay with it?"

I wanted to snort at his reaction, but refrained from doing so. This kid…had _no_ idea how much shit all the other kids, the school, and other mutants have gone through.  "Of course I'm okay with it. You are who you are. Love who you love. Who am I to judge?" I leaned back a bit and smiled at him softly. "Plus, we're mutants. We've been different all our lives. Adding more differences only makes you unique, Jake."

Jake smiled and sighed in relief. He rubbed his hands on his pants to wipe off the sweat. His voice rose from a whisper, but still stayed quiet because of the library setting. "I told you because I want help."

 _Help with…?_ At least this kid wasn't into anything bad. No crimes. No drugs. No alcohol. I was happy to help with something good. "Shoot."

"Is there any way…that I could get Spider-Man's attention?"

Straight to the point. Admirable, but it wasn't what I expected.

"In like a go-on-a-date-with-me kind of way?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Jake replied with a short nod. I couldn't outright say no to this kid. I didn’t want to break his heart, but I had to tell him somehow. Right? I stood up, and ushered him to do the same. I set my hand on his shoulder and steered him towards the kitchen. This was _not_ the place to talk about something like this. Too many ears and watchful eyes. "What do you like about him?"

Jake hung his head as some kids passed by. Silence followed in the next few moments, but I let it proceed. The poor kid didn't seem like he wanted to talk while in front of others. I couldn't blame him. Admitting his deepest secret to me was hard enough. Imagine if the other kids heard? What they could possibly say? It ranged from negativity to positivity, and I wasn't sure where on the spectrum most of the kids were. When we got to the kitchen, I was glad to find it void of any other people.

He sat down at the table and relaxed against the chair. Jake finally looked up at me with a new sense of wonder in his eyes. His lips curled up into a wide smile. "There's a lot of things I like about him. He's different. Not like us…but close enough. I also heard he makes his own tech! That's freaking awesome." He set his elbow on the table and rested his head on his hand. A dream-like expression washed over his features. "Have you _seen_ that suit on him?"

 _Bleh. He's my cousin. But little Jake doesn't know that._ I made hot cocoa as he went on and on about Peter. He talked a mile a minute, so by the time I was putting the hot substance into two cups, he had listed at least fifty reasons of why he likes Spidey. I handed him one, which surprisingly made him pause. He drank a bit, probably to rehydrate or rest his throat, before speaking again. I sat down and brushed my hair onto one side. I fought with myself to stay awake to support the kid. He was nice enough, and I couldn't say no to a kid in need.

"Have you seen his fights with the Lizard? Doctor Octopus? The Green Goblin? Those battles were epic! I wish he could teach me how to fight like that, but he said most of it was freestyle. _In the moment_ type stuff." Jake's face fell instantly. His voice lowered to almost a mumble, "Spider-Man's talented. It all comes naturally to him. Nothing comes natural to me in combat but fear."

A frown formed on my lips. "Things like that take practice. I still mess up _a lot_ , and I've spent years training."

"Does that mean I'm never going to be a good fighter?"

I shook my head immediately. "No. That just means people are really good at different things." _Like how I'm really good at messing things up._ I sighed internally. Sometimes I was half convinced I had the power of misfortune. There were times where I got too angry, too unfocused, too lazy, too something that wasn't needed. I was used to letting people down, but I still got the job done.

A silence settled in quickly. Jake took a few sips of his hot cocoa and wiped his upper lip. His eyes stayed glued to the table, until a memory flashed through his mind. He started speaking about other things he loved about Spidey. As he continued, he smiled widely. A sparkle glinted in his eye, and his cheeks turned a rosey pink. This kid was so full of wonder and admiration that it warmed my heart. I loved watching him talk so passionately about Peter. Then again, I'm not sure if my cousin even swings that way. Plus, he's still hung up on Gwen, especially with what happened with Mortuu. Now is not the best time, and Jake isn't an appropriate age.

I took a sip of hot cocoa, holding the cup with both hands. The heat warmed my skin as steam gracefully swirled upwards from inside the cup. I inhaled the aroma deeply, thinking of a response to give Jake. He had finally stopped talking and waited for an opinion on what to do. That's the thing.

I didn't know.

Thoughts trudged through my mind at a steady pace. I refrained from furrowing my brow and bit my lip. _Do I set him down gently? Do I tell him this isn't the best time? Do I tell him to stay hopeful?_ An internal scream erupted in my heart. This kid was going to be devastated either way, whether it be by having to wait, or being rejected.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, until Peter ran into the room, clearly out of breath. He set his hands on his knees and bent over for a moment. He spoke breathlessly, "Lilly, they-they're…" He inhaled deeply to calm his outrageous heartbeat before continuing, "…the rest of the gang is here. _It's time_."


	18. Chapter 18

This was it.

Day seven.

I didn't think it would come fast enough.

All of the heroes were gathering together in the hangar where the Blackbird was. I don't even know how they fit a quinjet in there, and I didn't want to ask. They were all getting ready for the battle. The time was now.

Peter had handed me my new uniform and a few weapons. I had asked Storm to find someone to make it for me, and it had finally arrived. The dark blue fabric was insulated and comfy, but also had a tough exterior. The X-Men's symbol adorned one sleeve, while the Avenger's symbol was on the other. The outfit itself was lightweight, and allowed me to use my powers through my gloves. Once I came out of the bathroom, I met Peter in the hall talking to Jake. "Ready," I declared.

Jake quickly followed us as we turned to walk down the hall. His eyebrows scrunched up together in confusion. "Where are you guys going?"

I glanced at Peter quickly. He looked back, but didn't say anything. I looked straight ahead. Pursed my lips. It wasn't fitting to tell this boy the truth. He would find a way to come. I answered simply, "Just on a mission. Nothing special."

"I want to go," a hint of desperation showed in his voice. Fighting alongside heroes against villains _and_ Spider-Man was going to be there? How could Jake just sit this one out?

Peter turned around before putting his mask on and locked eyes with the kid. He sent him a small smile before stating in a calm voice, "You have to stay here and help watch the other kids. We don't want anything happening to you guys."

Frustration reflected in Jake's newfound tone, "But I can fight! You guys taught me." He grabbed his necklace and used his powers to turn his whole body metal. Elemental Mimicry is what Professor Xavier called it. I had never seen it in action before when touch was involved, but there was a first time for everything.

With him being metal, I was able to use my powers against him. I stretched my fingers out and held him in place. _Magneto's powers have come more in handy than I thought._ Impatience had taken me prisoner. As much as I wanted to calm him down and talk him into staying nicely, we just didn’t have that kind of time. Loki was going down. I'd make sure of it. "Jake, we got this."

"Be those kids' hero. It's what I want you to do," Peter pointed at Jake and sent him a thumbs up. Jake nodded reluctantly and watched us leave. My cousin put on his mask before turning around to continue our trek to the hangar.

A small smile crept over my lips. _My cousin is a good guy. Aunt May raised him right._ I walked alongside him and put my curly brown hair up into a ponytail. I didn't need hair flying around while I fought. I needed all the advantage I could get. I was lucky I put on my contacts earlier today. Peter glanced at me, and I nodded back in response. _It's going to be okay._ I thought to myself as I tugged on the ends of my gloves.

Peter set his hand on my shoulder before we entered the hangar. We stopped walking, and I turned to look at him. I couldn’t tell what his facial expression was like, but I'm sure he wasn't smiling, judging from his somber tone. "Don't lose yourself on the battlefield, please. I've seen you in the training room. It…it wasn't a pretty sight."

I hugged my cousin and wrapped my arms around him tightly. I lay my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, trying to soak in every feeling from this moment. This could be the last hug I ever give Peter. I didn't want to say it out loud, but it was a truth I had to face. "I won't. Stay safe out there. Please."

"I will. I already promised Barton I'd buy him a celebratory pizza once this is all over."

I scoffed as I backed up, feigning hurt. "And you didn't invite me?"

Peter pushed me playfully and walked through the door to the hangar. Everyone was crowded around the Quinjet and Blackbird. Kitty and Bobby were discussing something off to the side, and smiled every so often. Scott glanced around the room as Storm talked to him. Bruce idly stood by the Quinjet in silence, rubbing his arms gently as he focused his brown eyes on the ground. Tony made some repairs to his suit as he listened in on Steve and Natasha's conversation. Everyone had suited up, and it was one of the most relieving things to see. The war could finally end.

Logan carried his yellow and black mask in his hand as he strolled over to Clint. We walked over to overhear a part of their conversation. Logan asked, "You ready to die for this cause? You can always back out."

Clint met his question with a half-smile. He examined the string on his bow as he answered with confidence, "Judge if you want. We are all going to die at some point. I intend to deserve it."

 _We're all going to die at some point. Maybe that's true. Maybe it isn't._ I added onto the conversation, "Going down in battle is more courageous and generous than anything else we can do."

"I couldn't agree more," Clint agreed. He set his bow down and hugged me briefly. When he backed away, his tired brown eyes looked me over. He stifled a chuckle. "You look like hell, Lilly."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Clint. Just what I needed to hear."

He shrugged nonchalantly and counted the number of arrows his quiver contained. "Katie-Kate told me I looked like hell just the other day." Which, was true. He looked exhausted. After running from the government and being put through one week from the depths of hell, I would say he had every reason to be tired.

"Katie-Kate?" I snorted, holding in a laugh. That's probably the cutest nickname I've ever heard Clint say. I covered my mouth quickly to hide my smile.

Clint shot me a glare. He mocked the way I said the nickname, " _Yes._ _Katie-Kate._ Took her under my wing a while back. I Skype called her to make sure she was doing okay." He set the quiver on his back and smiled softly at the memory of how that call went. Barton had never talked about this girl before, which surprised me. She sounded important to him, yet we were kept in the dark about it.

Curiosity stirred mixed emotions in my chest. Confusion and a little hurt were the main emotions. Confused because Barton had a secret life we didn't know about; a little hurt for the fact that he kept her a secret. Maybe it was for the best though. I mean, look where we were now. Vigilantes going up against powerful villains that had taken over the White House. Clint wouldn't want Katie-Kate to get mixed up in all of this.

My mind began to wander until Steve cleared his throat loudly from the center of the room. Everyone quieted down and turned to him, confused on what he was doing. Usually, they would go into battle without a grand speech, yet here Steve was changing the norm. Steve looked at each and every one of the heroes standing before him before starting his speech. "People look up to us. We've learned to fight for others, even though others don't want to be fought for. The government and a portion of the population has proven that. Does that stop us? _No._ _Everyone_ has a purpose for living. _Everyone_ has a reason to fight for something. _Everyone_ should fight for their loved ones, even when they look down on them. That's what we're doing today."

We are fighting to protect every innocent life out there. If we can stand tall and strong during a tough crisis like this, we can show the people that they have the capability of doing the same. If that's the only thing that comes out of this fight, I'm glad we at least achieved something." Steve paused and glanced down at the shield in his hand. It was such a strong symbol to the world. Patriotism. Rebellion. Freedom. _Hope._ It gave him the strength to keep talking.

"We have no choice. So, we fight…" He peered up from his shield and onto all of us. Tired heroes that yearned to win. Heroes who have fought hard to get where they were today. Not only that, but most were a family that have gone through hell and back. This battle would be no different. Steve continued, "…and we win. There are no other options. Those people out there, the frightened civilians of the United States of America, they're counting on us to fix everything. The _whole world_ is counting on us to fix everything. If we don't, then who will? We can't lose any more innocent lives."

He stood straighter, almost like a soldier in formation. His jaw muscle tightened as he gulped at the words he was about to say. "All of your powers, as of this moment, mean nothing. In a fight for your life on the battlefield, powers are _only_ as useful as the _soldier_ who wields them. They are no _excuse_ to _not_ know how to fight. They are a _tool_ in a fight. They are a tool to defend yourself with. As long as we stay clear-minded about things, we will persevere and win this battle." Cap relaxed himself and softened his tone. "I wanted to thank you all for helping in this dire situation. You're risking your lives for the greater good. _Every_ hero should be as brave and selfless as you are."

Everyone smiled and nodded at his words. _Inspiring_ wasn't enough to describe it. We gathered all of our weapons and other necessities before boarding the ships. I held Steve's hand and squeezed it a bit as we walked up the Quinjet ramp. Tony started the ship and took off before the Blackbird could get into the air.

An unsettling feeling bubbled in my stomach. This was it. It wasn't exactly a _war to end all wars_ type of thing, but right now, it felt close enough. Everything was riding on this huge gamble of a battle. Anxiety started to take over and the stress set in. I spoke up before my voice could waver, "Let's go kick some ass."


	19. Chapter 19

_AN: I tried writing this whole end battle like a movie scene, so I hope it's good! I feel really confident about this :)_

 

This battle wasn't like any of the others Steve had encountered.

Multiple super humans, alien beings, and gods? The odds against the heroes were great, but with the X-Men here, they had a chance to win. Or at least…he hoped they would win.

Lilly had raved about these people. Steve didn't doubt her. Not by a long shot. He was sure they were great people, but great fighters? That was yet to be seen. They were mostly in the dark. Mysterious. Not too trusting. He couldn't blame them, since most of the world had seen mutants in a bad light.

Steve curled his free hand into a fist. The world would see all of them in a new light. From vigilantes to this…rebels. They were rebelling against a dictator who ruled with fear. _Rebellions are built on hope._ Lilly had uttered those words to him earlier during the flight to DC. That sentence was so true that Steve felt it in his bones. His whole life had been built on hope. Hope things would get better. Hope that Hitler would be taken down. Hope that he'd do something right for his country. Hope that after he came back, it would all get better. Now, he was just hoping for a win. To make it out alive. To fix a country that had spiraled out of control.

Now was the time.

The heroes clashed with the villains. Everyone had broken off into groups, fighting their own enemies. Steve, Tony, and Storm took on one of the most difficult fighters. Loki. The so-called King had seen better days. His appearance was ghostly, and the only thing that stood out were his blazing blue eyes. His dark hair was full of sweat and gel, standing out on end like a mad man. His helmet and armor were near pristine, give or take the few blood splotches. Loki shot at Tony, who was flying in the air and avoiding each shot. Storm went in for hand-to-hand combat, since she didn't want to distract or hurt any of the other heroes with her powers.

He stared into the eyes of Ira, who was just a few feet away. They had been fighting for a half hour, but neither of them could get the advantage. They were equally matched, mostly because of Ira's power of self detonation. Steve had become hesitant to stay close to her for too long. With his fight skills, he could have easily taken her. Yet, such a simple power changed the terms of battle.

Sweat trickled down his temple, away from his damp hair. Even in the cold snow, he had worked up a sweat. He held firmly onto his shield and stood readily, awaiting her next move. _Come on._

Ira watched him carefully, taking in his every move. He had a combat pattern, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She licked her lips and tightened her grasp on her broad sword. She listened in on her surroundings, but failed to focus because her ears burned with such an intensity. The cold around her started to gnaw at her light purple skin. Anger boiled up inside her. Loki had worked hard making his way up the political ladder. Now, the heroes were here to take what was rightfully Loki's.

This she could not allow.

With a loud war cry, Ira surged forward. Her broad sword clashed with Cap's shield, creating an ear-piercing sound. She swung, and swung again, each time with more force than the last. Cap blocked her moves effortlessly. He backed away after every few moves, just in case she were to get angry enough and self detonate.

The other sounds of the battlefield passed through Steve's ears. The cries of pain. The anger. The fear. The hearts that were about to be broken. Bombs booming along the earth. Guns firing every other second. Different ranges of sounds came from powers that were being used by the X-Men. There was angry spouting from the villains. Quirky jokes and banter between the heroes. None of this distracted Steve from his mission.

Steve threw his shield at the woman and jumped up into the air to catch it when it returned. Ira growled and almost chucked her sword at him with intense strength, but refrained. That would mean she would be weaponless. She wasn't afraid of a shield, but her weapon determined the outcome of the battle. Unless she decided to use her powers, but she would wake up in some random location. She couldn't risk letting Loki down by leaving the battle.

She got close and tried to stab Steve. Cap grabbed her hand, twisted it, and almost made her drop the sword until she yanked her hand out of his grip. Fists were flying at each other, but no one landed a hit. Cap blocked her moves. Ira ducked repeatedly. It was a stalemate; however, Ira found the opportunity to swing her leg underneath Steve's.

He fell to the ground, pain surging up his spine. Steve's blue eyes widened as Ira launched her sword down to hit him in the neck. He pulled his shield up quickly, blocking the sword just in time. The sword bounced backwards, giving Steve enough time to kick Ira in the stomach, sending her backwards.

 

Iron Man flew in the air, avoiding shots from Loki and other villains. He fired missiles at Omega Red, but he just caught them with his metal tentacles and hurled them right back. Tony dodged them, but Jarvis' voice spoke up inside the suit, "The missiles are still following you."

"You know, I thought I was done with having my own weapons used against me." Tony flew high into the air, spinning in a circle a few times before diving straight back down. The missiles collided with each other, exploding on impact. A mass of smoke lifted into the cold, winter air.

Jarvis would laugh if he could. "You did make them heat seeking missiles, sir."

Juggernaut launched a chunk of the earth into the air. Tony saw it last second and jerked to the side. The land hit the White House and caved in a part of the wall. Tony was about to call out something to him, until Hulk tackled Juggernaut to the ground.

"Of course. Everyone else has managed to steal my fun." Tony huffed to himself. The Iron Man boots met the ground, allowing Tony to get his balance. He fired rays of light from his hands across the battlefield at different villains. It distracted them long enough for his friends to make critical hits.

In secret, Tony didn't want this conflict to end.

Here he was, fighting alongside some of the most heroic people on the planet, in a battle that would go down in history. This was the story he'd tell Peter's children, if he had any. After this, everything was going to change.

The Avengers would take a break from fighting crime. The X-Men would go back to the school. He'd be left with his own thoughts and late nights with alcohol. Pepper would be ecstatic to have him back, but what then? Would he continue to make his suits? Would she leave him? Would he finally get a good night's sleep without the flashbacks?

More thoughts piled into his mind, and all of them caused chills to run up Tony's spine.

"Tony, I need some help over here!" I cried out from across the field.

 

Ororo strayed away from using her powers to ensure everyone else's safety. Taking on Loki one-on-one would be a piece of cake. She knew that for a fact.

Storm's cape followed her as she jolted forward towards Loki. He aimed at her with the scepter, but she flew to the side before he got the chance to shoot her. She kicked his arm, causing him to grimace. He went to block her next attack by shielding himself with the scepter's staff, but failed to realize she went in for a punch. Loki stumbled backwards, a twisted smile on his face.

Duplicates of Loki emerged all around her. A few changed into a dozen, then into a few dozen. Ororo furrowed her brow. This was growing to be more difficult. After half an hour of fighting the guy, she mentally applauded his persistence.

She aimed to punch the Loki that was in front of her. The real one. Or at least, that's what she thought until her hand dove clean through his image. He must've moved when she glanced at the other duplicates.

"Having a bit of trouble, Storm?" The Loki duplicates asked with a taunting tone.

Storm kicked one. Wrong. She twirled around and punched another. Wrong. Two, three more punches on other duplicates. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. They all laughed at her failure. Anger stirred inside of her, along with the exhaustion coursing through her muscles.

"You're going to have to try better than that," the Loki's voices echoed in unison. "If not, I'll kill you first. Then I'll go find that lover of yours. What's his name again? The prince of Wakanda…"

He was pushing her buttons, trying to make her angry. If she lost control of her emotions, the weather conditions around them would match what she felt. Confusion would bring roaring thunder and rain. Sadness brought rain. Anger…anger would give her the upper hand. It ranged from many things. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Hard rains with lightning. Hail.

Loki didn't know what he was getting into.

Storm fought harder and faster than before. Her leg swung around as she spun in a full circle, taking out a set of copies. She grit her teeth and remembered what she was fighting for. The safety of the world. The frightened children back at the school. The survival of her tribe back at home, her _real_ home. For T'Challa. They had only been seeing each other for a while, but nothing official. Not yet, at least.

The duplicates aimed the scepter at her and fired, causing her to panic and fly up into the air. A bolt barely grazed her leg; Storm cried out in pain. She sucked in a breath through her gritted teeth. Her body was so warm against the cold weather, and fighting only made it worse. She swallowed the pain and dove back down into the fight.

Loki thought he could win.

Oh, how wrong he was.

Drastic measures were needed. There were too many duplicates, and there was an easy way to narrow it down. Finding the real one was going to inflict pain, but for what he's done to everyone in the world, it would be worth it. Storm focused in on the molecules that composed the oxygen in the air. Her eyes turned white as she honed in on one area of oxygen in particular.

The air in Loki's lungs.

The molecules tore themselves apart, releasing his lungs of oxygen. She manipulated his airways to not allow oxygen to enter. Her head started to pound at how much power she was using, but she forced the pain away as much as she could. Loki fell to the ground, clawing at his throat. He attempted to utter words, but nothing could make its way passed his throat. The duplicates of him disappeared, leaving only his real self on the cold, snowy ground. He punched the ground and attempted to shoot her with the scepter, but couldn't muster the energy to do it.

"Having a bit of trouble, Loki?" Storm smiled slyly, using his words from earlier.

Storm's focus broke when she heard a loud cry coming from the other side of the battlefield.


	20. Chapter 20

_Meanwhile…_

_Crash._

_Crumble._

_Crush._

Glass shattered from the windows of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The walls collapsed under the force of the Hulk and Juggernaut's combined weight as they fought. Punches were thrown left and right. Hulk yelled in Jugg's face and threw him into the building itself. Juggernaut took a few seconds to take in his surroundings.

Office desks and supplies were placed in cubicles around the room. Printers were in the corner, along with copy machines. Water jugs, computers, chairs, hell, even the cubicles themselves could be used as a weapon. He reached out, taking the first thing he came in contact with. He launched the desk at Hulk's face, and it broke on impact. The Hulk screamed in anger, his veins bulging from his neck prominently.

Juggernaut summoned all of his strength as he grit his teeth. The Hulk wouldn't defeat him. He had faith in the power of the Gem of Cyttorak, the entity that gave him his powers in the first place. Juggernaut launched himself at the Hulk at full speed.

The Hulk pushed back, his feet digging deeper into the earth every second. Hulk's muscles strained to keep up with his opponent's strength. Sweat dripped down his forehead and around his brown eyes. He had won the fight so far. What changed?

Juggernaut kicked Hulk down with brutal force. He pinned Hulk to the ground and went to town with punches. "You. Can't. Defeat. Me!" He yelled, punching Hulk's face between each word. Juggernaut felt overpowered. His energy and durability levels were higher than ever. He couldn't tell if he was high on adrenaline, or drunk off power. His knuckles throbbed; blood splattered onto him. He was unclear on whose blood it was.

It didn't matter to him at this point.

Hulk reached out for something, anything that would aid in his escape. His hand came in contact with a thin metal pipe, and tightened his grip on it. He forced the pipe into Jugg's eye socket, blinding him.

Juggernaut stumbled backwards, screaming in pain as he clutched the area around his eye. He removed the pipe, revealing mess of blood and mashed tissue. "You bastard!"

The Hulk forced himself off of the ground. His eyesight wavered, but slowly cleared as the seconds passed. His jaw erupted in pain, and his cheeks faired no better. The pain contributed towards his anger, narrowing his clouded thoughts.

The pipe clanked as it collided with the ground. The Gem of Cyttorak worked its alien magic and began to heal Juggernaut's wounded eye. Jugg laughed heartily and smiled widely, much like a mad man would. "Oh, you're going to get it now."

Hulk's eyes widened, but quickly narrowed. He growled under his breath. _He can try._ The thought ran across Hulk's mind, unsure of who originally had the thought: Bruce, or Hulk. He clenched his fist and went in for another blow. Jugg caught his hand, and twisted it. Hulk fell to his knees and screamed out an ungodly shriek; he quickly swiped his hand upside Jugg's head, knocking his helmet off.

Deadpool did a double take from his section of the battlefield. He dove over and snatched up the helmet from the ground. "Jesus, you're head is gigantic. How do you walk around with that heavy thing on your shoulders?"

"Give that back!" Juggernaut tried to make his way over to him, but Hulk intervened instantly. Hulk kicked him back and pushed him around. Juggernaut didn't care. His mind was vulnerable without that helmet.

Deadpool almost smiled deviously. "What? This thing?" He dangled it in the air teasingly. "Not happening." Wade launched the helmet across the battlefield, and it landed near where I was fighting.

"I'm going to rip you limb from limb, bitch!" Juggernaut shrieked and began to charge at Wade. All of a sudden, a loud screeching sound overcame his ear drums. He yelled and cupped his ears, unsure of what was going on. He vaguely remembered this…feeling, like someone stepped into his mind and started yelling. Then, he realized that his step-brother was watching. Not from the battlefield, but from the comfort of his own home in cerebro, while his wimpy little cohorts did his dirty work.

"Cain. I would say it's nice to talk to you again, but under the circumstances, it isn't," Professor Xavier spoke up, intruding in on Juggernaut's thoughts.

Jugg seethed and growled lowly. He grit his teeth tightly. "Get out of my head!"

The Professor's voice was calm and collected, "You need to calm down. We can make this world better, brother. You need to stop fighting."

Juggernaut swung at Hulk. If he focused on fighting, maybe Xavier would give up and leave. He launched his fist at the big green monster, but Hulk dodged and retaliated with his own punches and kicks. The more Xavier rambled on about how they could work together to create a better world, the more he wanted to bash his goddamn face in. Xavier never got beaten by their father. Xavier was the golden child that could do no harm. Cain hated him for it. "Shut up!" He screamed loudly.

He wanted to tear his head apart. He wanted to lose his hearing to make Xavier go away. Would that make him disappear? Juggernaut didn't know. He didn't want to know. An overwhelming feeling washed over him, and he couldn't help but to run straight into Hulk's fist. Hulk knocked Cain out in an instant.

Deadpool watched the scene unfold in front of him. It was so good, he wished he had popcorn. This was movie gold. This guy was going out of his goddamn mind. Wade wanted to join in with some banter, but saw the disaster going on with Spider-Man in his fight. He rushed over to help.

Peter fought Dr. Soul with a little difficulty. He was exhausted. His lungs ached from the cold. The snow reacted weirdly with his new metal arm, and constantly reminded him that it was there. It only made him remember how he lost it. How much he was in shock afterwards. How he hated himself for letting it happen.

And now, here he was, back on the same battlefield.

Peter took a moment to breathe. He reminded himself why he was here, pushing himself to the max. Saving the world and the people in it was so important to him. He could save Aunt May. Amelia. All of the other innocent people out there. He could help redeem the Avengers' title by stopping these villains and proving that they're heroes, not vigilantes. Everything cumulated up to the point where if he succeeded, he could get back to a normal life, or at least, as normal as it could be.

Dr. Soul stood across from Peter, gathering all of his strength to keep fighting. His gray eyes watched Peter intently, and a small smile curved upwards on the burnt half of his face. He grit his teeth together, showing more prominently on the side of his face that revealed parts of his skull. He aimed plasma projectiles at Spider-Man, until Deadpool swooped in and went in for a killing blow. Dr. Soul jerked backwards and shot plasma at Wade.

Deadpool dodged, but got hit in the arm. The plasma melted through his suit and onto his skin, burning it like acid. He cried out and looked at his suit in shock. "What the fuck? I just got this suit fixed!" Deadpool juked, quickly moving out of the way of more projectiles. He towards Peter, who had his hands on his knees. "You didn't tell me this asshole was like an Xenomorph."

Spider-Man stood straight and chuckled. "If I told you, it would ruin the surprise." He checked the performance status of his web shooters to make sure they were at optimal levels. "Plus, you missed the meeting. That's where we discussed fight moves and weaknesses."

"Yeah, but who wants to listen to all that boring crap?" Deadpool thought about his own weapons. Katanas. Guns. Grenades. Knives. Anything else had been left back at his apartment. He wasn't expecting to fight someone from long range. Going in for a close kill was usually his MO.

Peter grimaced at his words. _People who don't want to lose any more limbs._ He thought bitterly. He shook his head and headed towards Dr. Soul. "Double team. He can't aim at both of us at once."

Deadpool complied and charged in a zigzag direction towards the villain. Dr. Soul tried his best to aim at both of them, taking turns with each plasma projectile, but quickly gave up on that. Both of them were impeding on his personal space, so he had to take drastic measures. He put his hands together and formed plasma. He expanded his hands, and the size of the plasma grew with it.

Webbing clutched onto Dr. Soul's legs and Peter dragged him to the ground. Dr. Soul released the plasma projectile he was cooking up in his hands into the air. It burst in the air in a full circle, causing Peter and Wade to drop to the ground before it could touch their heads. The acid began to rain down from the air, and both heroes quickly rolled away.

Someone entered the fight and immediately went for the villain. They were covered in what seemed to be stainless steel, or maybe that was their skin. Peter's vision was a little wobbly from the sudden spinning. The more he focused in on the person, the more he could see. "…Jake…?" He mumbled to himself in confusion. _How did he get here? We left him at the school!_ "Jake, what are you doing here? It's not safe!"

Jake sat down on Dr. Soul and punched him a few times. His metal fist collided against the villain's burnt face and skull fragments that shown, sending a weird tingly touch up Jake's arm. He spoke up as confidently as he could, but his voice shook a bit, "I can help. I can be a hero too." Dr. Soul pushed him off and kicked him while he was disoriented. Jake went flying to the ground, and his skin changed back to normal when he released his stainless steel necklace.

Deadpool threw a few grenades towards Dr. Soul, each one going off right after the other. Dr. Soul cried out in agony, but quickly regained his composure. His lab coat and clothes burned more against the smoke and ashes. Wade covered Jake by shooting his gun at the villain.

Spider-Man threw webbing at Dr. Soul. The web stuck him to the ground, but he set himself free. Plasma dripped from the villain's fingers like venom from the fang from a snake. _I have to protect him._ Peter called out to the kid, only because he didn't have an ear piece, "You need to go back, Jake. Now."

The kid didn't listen. Of all the things Jake could have done, he decided to go against everyone's wishes and come along. To what? Prove his point? That he can fight along heroes? Peter didn't doubt he could, but the kid's skills were in question. Jake never really fought before. He barely got training from Peter. There was no way he was ready for this intense battlefield. Yet, he fought with all of his strength.

No one else on the field noticed Jake. They were yelling to other heroes asking for help. Crying out in agony. Grunting and mumbling as they fought with all of their power. The heroes were too occupied on their own battles.

Jake was now Peter's responsibility.

That only put more stress on Peter. He focused more on saving the kid than fighting in battle. Peter tried to keep Dr. Soul's attention on him, rather than anyone else. Three on one seemed unfair, but it would work. They could defeat Dr. Soul. Peter wouldn't kill him. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.

Deadpool stayed focused, but his thoughts betrayed him at times. One voice wanted to sleep. To relax. To leave the fight and go treat himself to some pizza. The other voice, the smarter one, wanted him to use tactics. Tactics that took too much effort to stop and plan out. The fight was now. All that he could do was give it all he had. Seconds turned to minutes, and soon they were all in the groove of battle.

Jake almost burst with excitement and fright. Here he was, fighting with one of his heroic idols. He would go home and say he fought side-by-side with Spider-Man, and that would make all of the kids super jealous. He felt good about himself for once. He wouldn't be a kid that would be bullied. He would be a kid that stood up for what was right, and ultimately went behind everyone's backs to join. That didn't seem to matter. All he could focus on was Spider-Man.

Peter's dodges were so elegant. The way he launched webbing at Dr. Soul to distract him seemed so natural. Even Deadpool seemed to move fluidly throughout battle, shooting bullets and slicing Dr. Soul with his katanas. Jake aspired to be like them. He wanted to prove himself.

The kid jumped towards Dr. Soul, skin clad in stainless steel by copying his necklace's material as he held it in his hand. Jake punched and kicked him up close, but only for a brief moment before Dr. Soul threw plasma projectiles at him repeatedly. The projectiles hit Jake in the abdomen, one after the other, and caused him to scream and release the necklace from his grip. His skin changed back to normal and the last projectile hit him in the same spot. The acid melted through his shirt and into his skin.

"Jake!" Peter ran to the kid. Deadpool noticed what happened and turned to distract Dr. Soul to let Peter have his moment. Spider-Man ran so fast and skidded across the ground when he got close. He held Jake up in his arms. _He's just a kid._ Why didn't he just listen when they told him to stay back at the school?

Jake felt the acid burn into his stomach. He could hear his skin sizzling, and the pain was excruciating. He didn't have much time. There was no way they could stop it. At least he went down with a fight alongside his hero, and someone he loved. Jake stuttered as he looked up at Peter with big blue eyes, "I j-just wanted t-to h-help."

"You did great, Jake." Peter's eyes clouded over in tears. He didn't deserve a death like this. Jake had a bright future ahead of him. He was so smart. He yearned for knowledge. Peter saw so much potential in him, and even took him under his wing. He was like the little brother he never had. And now? Now he was dying in his arms.

The last of the acid hit his intestines. Jake knew this was it. He said his last words, with sorrow and admiration, "I-I wanted to be a h-hero, just like y-you…"

"You're my hero." Peter smiled sadly as he watched the light flee from Jake's eyes. His heart cracked a bit more. He had to relive losing Gwen and Uncle Ben just a few days ago. Now, this? Was the world out to get him? To make him so goddamn miserable that he wanted to give up on being a hero? Or was this meant to push him to be one? Peter screamed out as loud as he could. He didn't care if everyone heard him on the ear piece. He didn't care if it echoed on the streets for everyone to hear. Jake was his responsibility, and he failed him.

Dr. Soul whipped around to face Peter, giving Deadpool enough time to get close and chop his head off. The blades of his katanas swiped through the villain's neck easily, as if he was cutting butter. The head rolled onto the ground and his body fell next. Wade grit his teeth as he listened to Peter scream. He took out his gun that was holstered and shot the body multiple times just to make sure he stayed dead. Wade stopped after his clip was empty, and lost focus while listening to Peter mourn over the loss of a child.


	21. Chapter 21

_Meanwhile…_

Letting my friends and family down _wasn't_ an option.

A part of me thought otherwise. That self-doubt. The negative thoughts creeping in. One wrong move, and we could have losses. It all boiled down to this.

The end of the end.

I was tired of everything. The losses, the fear, the immense struggles, the suffering, the anger, I wanted it to all be over. I wanted to go back to my normal life where I could be happy and not be constantly paranoid. Would I ever make it home? Would I stay in this paranoid mentality that I've had for so long? War…War never changes. Maybe my life wouldn't, either.

Venom took my mind off of things for a short time. He scratched and aimed blows at me, but I dodged to the best of my ability. I had frozen his limbs countless times and broke them off his body, but the symbiote healed itself almost instantly. The black vein-like substance protected its vessel, Eddie Brock, with so much urgency. Every time it revealed a piece of his skin, it would quickly cover it back up. If only I could get it detached from him, then maybe…

My thoughts shattered when I realized I didn't see Venom. I looked around, seeing the mass destruction around the battlefield. Blood drenched into the snow. The heroes were cold, tired, and hot messes all at once. My hazel eyes glimpsed around the field quickly, only to find nothing.

Venom had completely disappeared.

I spun slowly in a circle for a moment. The wind nipped at my red nose and I sniffled. My skin felt dry and cold against the harsh cold weather. I hated that feature about my sentinel powers. I stole the powers from other people, not the other perks that came with it. I didn't take Bobby's ability to have resistance to cold. I didn't take Blink's other abilities. I didn't develop Emma Frost's telepathic ability. Most of these were incredibly unfortunate, but also good for me. If I was overloading on the few powers I had now, I couldn't imagine the distress I'd be in if I had more. My mind wouldn't be able to handle it.

Black, sticky webbing shot out from nowhere and wrapped around my ankles. Something pulled on it, sending me to the ground with a loud _crush_ in the snow. I inhaled sharply and attempted to kick my legs, but the substance coiled tighter. I looked towards the direction the webbing originated from, and Venom appeared out of thin air, as if the symbiote camouflaged itself.

 _I don't remember Peter telling me about that._ I thought worriedly and threw fire out at the webbing. The symbiote didn't let go, and quickly pounced on me. His claws sank into my shoulders as his white eyes focused on mine. A grin played on its sharp-toothed grin, saliva falling onto my clothing like a soft rain.

A terrifying thought popped into my mind.

_What if the alien symbiote bonded to me, and made me its new vessel for a short period of time?_

A knot formed in my stomach at the thought of it. If it could take Peter's powers after bonding with him, it would be nearly unstoppable if it bonded to me. An alien symbiote that had sentinel powers, along with the abilities I've obtained? It would no longer be victim to the elements used against it. We wouldn't be able to kill it. It would be one of the most powerful villains in our time.

_Snap._

My collar bone snapped in half under Venom's pressure. I cried out as pain soared through my shoulder. The bone moved and grinded against the other half's stub. I cringed and grit my teeth together for a moment. I tried to escape from under his weight, but I couldn't move. "Tony! I need some help over here!"

"What do you have in mind?" Tony asked over communications.

 _I can do this. I can do this._ The Venom symbiote hooked onto my skin, sinking itself into my veins like sharp daggers. I screamed and tried to throw him over to the side, but failed. My stress levels spiked and I felt lost. I had lost all control. "Loud sounds! Anything you can provide!"

Steve called out, worry clear in his tired voice, "Lilly, are you okay?"

Venom's tongue licked my neck, sweeping up some of the blood. The symbiote craved it. It craved my pain, my blood, my fear. It wanted to torture me until I was nothing. Then, it would kill me. The twisted satisfaction the symbiote got from murder and violence made chills go up my spine.

I wouldn't grant it that satisfaction.  

"I'm fine," I called out on comms. I struggled to get my hand close to Venom's face, but found inner strength to do so. His sharp teeth scraped against my skin; I held in a scream and forced fire to emanate from my hand at an immense heat. Venom screeched a near ear-piercing sound and quickly backed away from me.

I gasped and held my wounded shoulder as it bled. My wound slowly healed, yet not fast enough. I was overloading my powers. Too many at once. My eyesight wavered as I tried to get my breathing under control. I had to keep myself together. Not fall prey to anger or fear.

Easier said than done.

Tony performed a sudden fly by, breaking the sound barrier as he did. A sonic boom erupted in the air, and Venom screamed out in agonizing pain, scratching at his non-physical ears to make it stop. The symbiote revealed small pieces of skin that belonged to Brock, fluctuating and readjusting to his body as it panicked.

Carnage turned away from Cyclops and Wolverine, and barreled straight towards me. I shot my hands up and formed a wall of ice in front of me. He blocked his head with his arm as he crashed through it with ease. I rolled to the side, until Carnage yanked me back by my leg.

Iron Man flew by again, but this time went in for a low blow. He put more power into his jets and started to break the sound barrier again. Before he could complete the action, Venom grasped onto his legs. Tony flew in a circle for a moment, and looked back at the creature. He employed the repulsor beam in his left palm, shooting Venom in the face with the ray. Venom screeched, but didn't let go. The symbiote grabbed onto Tony's chest armor tightly, digging its sharp claws into the technology.

Jarvis spoke up as Tony cringed and gasped from the pain, "Sir, the armor is fail-"

"I see that, Jay," Tony interrupted him. He amped up the repulsor rays and focused them in on Venom's chest. The beams flew out and hit the symbiote point blank, causing it to scream its high pitched scream.

Cyclops attacked Carnage, shooting a strong beam of ruby light at the creature. Wolverine advanced from the other side, leaping and digging his adamantium claws into him. Carnage shrieked and let go of me to handle the situation at hand.

I frantically jumped up to my feet and jumped onto Venom's back. I put my hands on the symbiote's skin and heated them up. My hands steadily glowed a bright red, with the heat of an intense lava stream. Venom writhed and tried to throw me off, but I held on tightly. I wasn't going to let him kill Tony.

Venom ripped the chest armor off of Tony's body, taking some of the leg armor with it, and dropped him. Tony stumbled to the snowy ground and gasped from the cold that he came in contact with so suddenly.

"Tony, you need to get out of here. You're too vulnerable," I commented loudly. I crinkled my nose from the pain of the immense heat on my skin, but I had to bear it. The symbiote was slowly letting go of its host. Tony nodded and made his way towards Bruce, who was slowly transforming out of his Hulk state on the side of the battlefield.

Scott Summers screamed as he fell. His leg had been hit pretty bad after Carnage attacked. I threw out a portal before Carnage could strike him again, and launched the exit portal near Venom's lower back below me. Carnage's arm collided with the black symbiote, tearing a chunk of it off and allowing blood to run down the wound. The portal closed, cutting Carnage's arm off in the process.

Venom finally launched me into the air, and I came crashing down to the ground close to Scott. A strong pain shot up my ribcage, and I whimpered lightly. My body was on fire, almost as if I couldn't cool down after using my powers. _I got this. It'll be okay._ I took a breath and glanced up at what was going on around me.

Carnage held his half arm up, and the symbiote quickly regenerated. The thin traces of red and black vein-like skin textures wrapped together in loops and stitches, forming another arm in the end. Cyclops focused the red beam on the alien, pushing his two fingers into his temple a lot harder than usual. The power of the beam was beginning to be too great, yet the symbiote wasn't stopping.

I pushed myself up to go help, until Venom leapt and landed on top of me. I iced its arm and aimed to break it off. Venom stopped me by grabbing my arm, and snapped it in half. I cried out and threw my hand out, launching fire at its face. Logan cut the symbiote's back from behind, digging his claws into it and began to shred it into pieces. Venom got off of me and rolled on the ground to get Wolverine to let go, but to no avail.

A scream burst out of someone's throat, causing me to look over at the source. It was Scott. Carnage had transformed his hands into spikes and drove them into Cyclops' side and stomach. I ran towards him, throwing out as much fire and ice as I could with both hands. My heart raced and my breath hitched in my throat. _No. No. No!_

But it was too late.

Carnage forced his hands to spread apart, tearing Cyclops in half in the process.

Blood splattered onto my skin and clothes, as if a whole paint can was thrown onto me. I stumbled back a second, eyes wide in fear. My heart cracked and felt as if it were collapsing. I wanted to put my hand to my mouth in horror. I wanted to reverse time. I wanted to do so much, and yet I couldn't. All I could do was scream out, tears fresh in my eyes, "Scott!"

 

_Meanwhile…_

Clint Barton fought triumphantly. He had hope they would win this. Hope they would make it home safely. Hope they would restore the American peoples' thoughts about them. The world would be a safer place once this battle was over, and that made Clint's heart soar with exhilaration. So close to freedom, yet so far.

He loved his teammates dearly. Though, he did get annoyed with them at times. That just meant they were like a huge, dysfunctional family. He couldn't wait until they could go back to the tower and hang out. They could play jokes and pranks on each other again, without an awkward, tired silence following it. He could get that pizza Peter promised him. He could watch Peter graduate. Watch Natasha get back into ballet. Watch Steve and Lilly's relationship flourish. Watch Tony go back into his lab and be frightened at the new prank he had set up. Watch Banner go back to his girlfriend, and urge him to take her out on a long needed date. All of that would make him the happiest man in the world.

His mind flickered back to the moment at hand. "Got any more grenades?" Hawkeye questioned Black Widow. Their opponent had danced around their previous attacks as if it took no effort. Saturna's ring blades spun at a fast rate, and she slowly advanced closer. Her short orange hair stayed in place as she moved, and her brown outfit didn't hold her back in her swiftness. Her yellow eyes stuck on Clint, watching him as she advanced.

"No. I'm out." Natasha searched her utility belt for anything useful. She came up with one clip of pistol ammo, and nothing else. The only thing she had left was a switchblade, and even that wouldn't help much.

"I'm down to one arrow after this." Barton held his bow and one sonic arrow drawn back. He waited until Saturna was in position, and shot it at her. It landed in her leg, and when she touched it, it blew up and created a sonic boom. She fell to the ground and clutched her ears in pain.

Natasha glanced over at him. Her green eyes locked onto his light blue ones, and she huffed, "I have one clip. We have to change our tactics." She stretched out her arms and prepped herself for another half hour of battle. Everything ached. She was starting to wish she had powers at this point. Ammunition always ran out way too quickly.

Clint nodded in agreement. They had to get up close and personal, but with Saturna's blades, that would be nearly impossible. "Just like Budapest?"

Natasha's lips formed a brief, ghostly grin. "Just like Budapest."

Both nodded and went darted off in two directions. Saturna got confused when she peered up, and saw them heading towards her. She quickly stood up and got her spinning Saturn's rings ready, holding them in a defensive position over her chest.

Black Widow launched a widow's bite at her, causing her to drop her arms at the electric shocks that surged through her body. Nat shot a few bullets out of her pistol, but only hit Saturna once. The enemy blocked the rest with her blades as much as she could.

Hawkeye slid onto the ground and aimed his last arrow at her. It was an explosive, so it had to be a clean shot. _I never miss._ He thought confidently. He's done this a million times. He'll do it a million times more. He never got tired of this job.

Saturna threw one of her blades at Natasha. Nat dashed to the side, but the blade hit her leg and carved into it. She screamed loudly as the blade fell down into the snow next to her. She grimaced and grit her teeth to silence her cries, and glared angrily at Saturna.

Upon hearing her cries, Clint turned to look at Nat. His heart dropped and ached at the sound of her pain, causing surges of anxiety to course through his veins. His legs nearly made him run to her, but he held himself back. "Natasha!" If he lost her like this, he would never be able to forgive himself. It would tear him apart.

Saturna blocked the arrow with her remaining blade, causing the arrow to launch back towards Clint. Natasha yelled out to warn him, but the arrow blew up close to him. The debris pierced the side of his body, and scratched up his face. He cried out, but didn't fall. The smoke blocked his view of Saturna once his blue eyes flickered back to her, and failed to see the other spinning blade that headed straight for him. It collided with his chest, digging in place through his rib cage.

Clint's screams echoed through the air and across the battlefield, catching all of our attentions. He fell to the ground and stared up at the sky one last time, the blade slowing down and collapsing next to him. The snow seeped into his clothes and sweat-drenched hair, causing a cold chill to crawl up his spine. Memories of the team flashed before his eyes, and filled his thoughts with sweet times. He choked out, pain emanating from every muscle he could still feel, "I love you guys."


	22. Chapter 22

Everything played out in slow motion.

Steve fought Ira valiantly. Tony watched from the sidelines, his armor critically broken into pieces. Storm let go of her death grip on Loki. The Hulk transformed back into Bruce, and fell to the ground next to Juggernaut's unconscious body. Peter cried out in agony for his fallen brethren. Deadpool shot and stabbed Dr. Soul multiple times to make sure he was deader than dead. Clint suffered an excruciating death. I stood frozen for a moment, drenched in Scott's warm blood.

Venom had witnessed what had happened with Peter and Jake. Something ached inside of him, and singed his heart. He took a moment to look around at everything they had done. They had killed innocents. Soldiers. Tore them to shreds. But this? Killing an innocent child? Was this really the thing these villains were going to resort to?

It seemed insane to feel this way. A part of Brock felt sympathy for children, and Venom leeched off of that emotion. Together, they became a villain, yet there was a clear line. Children weren't supposed to be harmed. He had seen too much of that during his childhood. He couldn't stomach to see it happen again.

Seeing Jake die? Dr. Soul didn't even bat an eye. Did it without even being told. He did it of his own free will. If that was the kind of behavior Loki didn't intervene to correct, then Venom shouldn't be there. Working with them seemed to be complying with the lowest low life trash one could find.

Venom watched as Carnage advanced towards Lilly Parker, ready to attack her as she stood there frozen from shock. Venom took initiative and barreled towards his son. He tackled him to the snow covered ground and held him there. They snarled at each other, and bickered in their own growling way. Carnage wanted to fight. Venom wanted to save his son, no matter how much he couldn't tolerate him. They wrestled for a while, until Venom got enough strength to throw him far away from the battlefield. He ran towards the same direction to drag Carnage away from DC.

Logan's veins bulged in his arms and he clenched his fists together. He felt the adamantium move in his skin, causing him to crinkle his nose as he grit his teeth. Scott died right in front of him. Frustration and rage coursed through his system; he snarled lowly under his breath. How could he go back home now? How could he ride his motorcycle, when he knew he stole it from Scott just to piss him off? He had to tell the kids. God…what would Jean think? He had to be the one to tell her. She would be _devastated_.

He focused on the battle and went over to me. Logan tried to talk me out of my frozen state, but realized I was processing the moment. I wasn't responsive to anything he said or did. I was in shock. He took initiative to aid Natasha in her endeavors.

Natasha screamed and slowly became angry with every fiber of her being. The rage forged a new fire inside of her that she hadn't felt in ages, not since she became the Black Widow. All of it was coming back to her. The numbness. The pain. The internal suffering she had set up for herself. Clint had rescued her from all of that, and now, he was gone.

His last words were of his love for his team.

She forced herself to walk through the pain in her leg. Blood dripped down and splattered onto the snow in a trail. Nat had half a clip left in her magazine and a switchblade. She wanted to carve into this woman and take her down. Make her suffer inch by inch until she was nothing. Natasha hadn't done something like that in forever. Her barbaric tactics ended once she joined S.H.I.E.L.D..

Wolverine ran up behind Saturna and fought with her, hand-to-hand. Saturna aimed to hit him in the face, but failed. Logan blocked and scratched her with his adamantium claws. He couldn't get close enough to dig in deep, but he had to keep trying.

Natasha gripped her pistol in her hand and scowled menacingly. Her other hand tightened around the small switchblade she had. Her last resort. She would make it useful. Her short blonde hair stuck to her face in a sweaty mess. Her breath met the cold air, and fogged over. Tears formed in her eyes, but she forced them back. There was no room for weakness right now.

Only rage.

Now, Saturna was defenseless. Her blades were strewn about close to Clint's lifeless body. She fought Wolverine valiantly, dodging most of his deadly attacks. Her armor crushed under each slash from the claws, causing her to back away in fear. She never met someone who could damage the metal she wore, and she found that terrifying. Her eyes widened and she turned to look for her blades.

Natasha came up and shot her in her vulnerable spots. Now that the enemy wasn’t paying attention enough to block them, the bullets wedged themselves within her body. Saturna cried out and turned to Black Widow in shock.

Then, it was all over.

Natasha swept her leg underneath Saturna's, and knocked her down to the ground. A cry of fear left her lips as Natasha got on top of her and emptied her clip into her skin. The bullets caused electric shocks of pain to run through Saturna's body, but there was nothing she could do about it. Natasha had the upper hand, and once she was done with the gun, she stabbed her over and over with the switchblade.

Logan watched in slight horror of what anger can do to a person. He knew it all too well. Seeing it happen to someone else…well, it was new. Little Natalia all grown up and…straight up murdering an alien with a switchblade. It would have made for a badass story if she wasn't enraged and heartbroken.

Natasha stabbed Saturna, even after her screams had faded and she had passed on. The switchblade dug into the body, allowing blood to spill out slowly. Some of it splattered onto Nat's face, as if she were painting furiously on a blank canvas. She yelled and screamed until she didn't have a voice left, filling the air with the sounds of her grief.

After a few more moments of agony, Logan aided Natasha in getting off of the battlefield. Tony helped her as much as he could with wrapping up her leg. She barely even winced, her green eyes glassy and staring forward at nothing in particular. She swayed back and forth a bit, but didn't say anything, almost as if she was completely lost in her mind.

 

Blood. Sweat. Tears of pain. Shadowcat was so tired. Exhausted. She had never used her powers so much in her life until this point.

Nothing seemed to work. Her and Iceman would double team Omega Red, but he seemed to always be one step ahead. His adamantium tentacles didn't help. Kitty phased through one tentacle when it came at her, and quickly grabbed onto it. She tried to hold it in place as she figured out if she could cut it off somehow, but Omega Red quickly jerked it back towards him. She fell, but quickly picked herself back up.

Iceman circled around the villain, launching ice at him any time he could. Omega Red got his hand caught, and frozen in ice. He yelled out and cursed at Bobby. The villain smashed his fist against the ice trail Iceman had left behind, shattering both.

Bobby threw down some ice below the villain's feet as Omega Red threw his tentacles down, enraged that the heroes were getting the upper hand. Bobby almost laughed, until he saw the state Kitty was in. "You okay, Kit?" he called out to her.

She simply nodded and made her way towards the villain. She slid on the ice and used it to her advantage. When her and Bobby used to skate, he taught her a thing or two on how to fight on it. It was difficult at first, but eventually, she got the hang of it. Putting it into action felt great. "I'm okay. Focus on him, not me."

"We won't need to focus on him much longer. Seems like everyone else has won the fight," he pointed out as he whirled around for another strike. He smiled as he passed Kitty. "We'll be heading home soon. Tonight's date night. Don't forget."

Shadowcat blushed slightly, her cheeks burning red from the cold and emotion. She would never forget that. Their date nights were always memorable. "Last time I checked, you were the one who forgot." She phased through Omega Red and held her breath until she was completely on the other side. He swayed forward a little bit, disoriented from the sudden shock Kitty sent off in his body. When she phases through living organisms, her abilities interfere with the electrical systems. This caused Omega Red's brain to be confused, and his metal robotic parts to become stiff for a moment. Kitty ran a bit farther, wishing she could do more. She ran out of gun ammo a couple minutes ago. Not like that helped much anyway.

"Hey, wait a…No, you're totally right. As always," Bobby teased her a bit. He threw some ice onto Omega Red's tentacles and tried to get closer to encase him.

It almost worked.

Omega Red released a deadly pheromone from his body. With the way he was made in the experiment, this pheromone would build up in his body, and if he didn't release it every once in a while, he himself would die. Now, it got lunged into Bobby's lungs.

Iceman fell on the ground next to Omega Red and tried to crawl away. He clawed at his throat and coughed wildly, trying to get the pheromone out of his system. His eyes burned with a fiery intensity, and his ice skin felt as if it were melting. He reached out towards Kitty, attempting to call her name and motion her to stay back as she ran towards him. She stopped immediately, and watched in horror as Omega Red reached down to touch Bobby's head.

There was a special ability that Kitty had never seen with her own eyes. The ability to take one's life force. She stood there in shock, watching the deadly pheromones swallow Bobby up whole. Omega Red used his powers to drain Iceman's life force to fuel his own strength. Iceman's lifeless body fell into the snow. The villain smiled at Shadowcat devilishly, but the quickly faltered when he noticed only Loki and Ira remained.

There was no point to be in battle anymore. He was going to lose if he tried. Living to see another day and fight his own battle was worth it. Trying to save this train wreck? It wasn't on Omega Red's agenda anymore. He was promised free reign of the world. If he fought back now, all he'd get was a prison cell.

Omega Red retreated, leaving Kitty Pryde alone in the cold, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall.


	23. Chapter 23

This was it. All the anger, sorrow, and pain bottled up inside of me, waiting to burst like a fire hydrant. I glared at Loki and growled under my breath as I forced myself to walk towards him.

Storm had gone to console Kitty. Peter was mourning the loss of his dear friend. Natasha had almost clocked out altogether from the real world. Jake's acidic melted body was almost buried in the white snow. Scott lay in pieces on the ground. Clint bled out, his eyes still staring at the sky. Bobby's lifeless body lay in Kitty's arms as she screamed out.

This was for them.

I opened a portal leading directly to Loki and marched through it. I ignored the blood that drenched my skin and clothes. My own blood boiled in my veins, but I didn't care anymore. _Let me burn._ I wanted Loki's head on a goddamn stick.

Loki Laufeyson stared me down, a wicked grin gracing his lips. He stood up straighter, removing his hand from his sore throat. Storm had done a number on him, but now his plan was back in motion: tear the heroes apart. He held onto the scepter and spoke up in an eloquent tone, "Why won't you just die forever, Lilly?"

Chills ran up my spine at his words. I almost stopped, but realized that was what he wanted. He wanted in my head. He wanted to get close. Would he kill me? Or would he turn me into one of his possessed lackeys?

I chose not to respond to him and gathered all of my strength and energy. My fire and ice powers danced across my fingertips on each hand. My hot skin changed into diamond; I was prepared for the worst. My powers would overload my system, but did it matter?

No.

This was for them.

_Let me burn._

I pushed my hands out towards Loki, launching both fire and ice towards him. He retaliated with a constant ray of power from his scepter. The powers collided, and created one string of immense energy fighting for domination. My hands and arms shook from how much power I was emitting. I yelled out as my muscles strained to keep up, and I took slow steps closer.

Loki did the same, putting one foot over the other on his way to confront me. He grit his teeth together, and focused on creating magical duplicates of himself all around me. they tried to tear me down with words that attacked me and my family. None of it was going to get to me. I couldn't let it. He yelled out, almost in a growl, "Once I'm done killing you, I'll go after your beloved Spider-Man and Captain America. the front lawn will be decorated with their body parts."

I pushed myself farther. He could talk all he wanted. He didn't know I was going to win this. I _had_ to. My body began to shake as if a small earthquake shook deep inside my bones. I held my breath; my heart pounded against my ribcage. I kept my focus on Loki. My hate and anger was the only thing that kept me going. The scepter's power pushed against mine, and the closer I got, the more difficult it became to keep up.

"You cannot win against the scepter. You have no idea what power it contains."

Then, there was an explosion.

Loki and I launched each other a good distance across the battlefield.

The world was hazy. Warm smoke and cold snowflakes brushed up against Loki's skin, and burned his lungs. Loud noises, yelling, and crying melded together in one big chorus of chaos. He could finally take in all the action, hysterics, and deep emotions. Neurons in his brain sparked to life, as if they'd been numb the entire time. He blinked a few times, gaining clarity in his eyesight. Loki pushed himself up off of the ground, stumbling to his feet as he tried to balance the weight of the armor he wore. His emerald green eyes scanned the battlefield.

Death. Destruction. Tears. Pain. Blood. Everything he's craved to see while he climbed his way up to power. But…something didn't feel right, as if all of his senses and opinions washed back over him in one giant tidal wave. His brow furrowed together, and his eyes locked on something that almost made him cry out.

Deadpool launched Ira's own sword into her chest. Her gray eyes met Loki's as she fell to the ground with a shrill cry, and a gaping mouth. Loki bit the inside of his cheek hard and clenched his jaw. Moments seemed to pass and the bottle that once held all of his emotions shattered. He snapped, "This… _this_ is madness. I was controlled by that madman and he pushed all of my emotions away. Now…now they're all flooding back to me. I never said I loved you…" Once in his childhood, he did. Once she left, she took his heart with her. Nothing had been the same after that, especially not after Frigga died. "I wanted to tell you _he_ was using you, but I couldn't get the words out. _He_ wouldn't let me."

I punched the ground and forced myself up. My limbs were numb from the cold, and my hair was frosted in snow. My heart forged its own accelerated beat as I pushed myself forward once more. I trudged through the snow and created a portal to the scepter. I snatched it up from the snowy ground; my fingers curled around the freezing metal staff. My nostrils flared as I exhaled angrily. _This is it. I'm going to fucking end it all._

This was for them. For all those lives that were lost in Chicago. For all the lives lost during the seize of DC. For the fallen heroes of today. I would avenge them all.

I walked up to Loki, my hands tightening around the staff. He looked at me with dark, baggy eyes, and didn't move. He stayed put, watching me intently. I grit my teeth and angrily spat, "You did this. You did this to them!" Loki didn't flinch, or smile deviously like he had previously. His expression was as flat as marble. I raised the staff and got ready to plunge it into his chest.

"Lilly!" Steve called over comms. He turned around from the sight of Ira's dead body, only to see me positioned to kill Loki. I stopped for a brief second, allowing Steve to speak, "You made a promise to not go out of control. Please put the staff down."

"And let him _live_?" I snapped at him. I wanted to drive the damn thing right through Loki's heart. Tears swelled up in my eyes at the thought of all the loss we've encountered. My fingers coiled tighter around the staff, keeping a steady grip on it.

Captain America jogged to us. The situation was dangerous. I had the staff. Loki was defenseless, but still had a few tricks up his sleeve. The solutions ran through Steve's mind on how to go about handling this. "You are out for blood. Do you think killing him will solve any of this?"

"Yes!" I yelled loudly. My body shook with each word I uttered, "Of course it will solve this! Have you not seen how many people he's _killed_? How many cities he's _damaged_? How this country is out of control because of _him_?"

Tony, Logan, and Storm rushed to catch up with us, but Steve held his hand out calmly, motioning for them to stop. Having more people would only make this worse. He set his shield down in the snow. "I have. That doesn't mean we have to murder him."

"He murdered our _friends_! My _family_! And you want to save him?" I didn't take my eyes off of the villain. I couldn't. Anger bubbled inside of me and I seethed with rage. I wanted his blood to paint the snow, just as every fallen heroes' blood had earlier. I felt the warmth from Scott's blood run cold on my skin. It had dried in some areas, but still soaked my outfit.

Steve's voice strengthened in confidence and he yelled back, "He needs to stand trial for what he's done! That starts with what he did to Asgard. He will pay, Lilly. Killing him is only making his punishment nonexistent."

My expression fell at his words.

Killing him was the easy way out. Would I feel powerful? Accomplished? How long would that feeling last? Minutes, hours, days? If he was put on trial and imprisoned, he would definitely suffer. I would make sure of it. He would wish he never messed with us. I let the tears fall down my face as I handed Steve the scepter. He took it gladly, and didn't have enough time to stop me when I punched Loki in the jaw as hard as I could.

Loki fell to the ground, clutching his jaw and moving it slowly. He cringed from the pain and looked up at me, without anger or hatred in his eyes. He smiled. _Smiled._ A small chuckle clawed its way passed his lips and he picked himself up. His eyes bounced from me to the other members slowly crowding around.

I wiped my tears away quickly; I clenched my jaw tightly to keep the pain and anger back. Letting him live is the right thing to do. He'll suffer more, and that's how he'll pay. I just wished there was a better way to punish him. If he could escape Asgard once, who the hell says he won't do it again? I paced around in the snow, back and forth as a group discussion started.

Tony only had his hand gear on. He pointed one of the repulsor rays at the fallen ruler with a straight face. Blood dripped down his temple, and his breath shook with each word he declared, "Do you wanna surrender, or do you wanna do this the hard way?"

"You don’t understand, you mewling quim. There is no surrender. There is only the hard way." The smile seemed to disappear from his lips at the thought of who was really in charge. None of these heroes were prepared. This was all some twisted plan, and Loki was the main puppet.

Steve tilted his head and observed Loki in slight confusion. The man was back to his normal self. Green eyes. Color in his face. This was déjà vu all over again. When the Chitauri invasion happened, Loki's eyes were indeed blue. When Thor took him and the Tesseract home, his eyes were green. Peculiar little details like that meant something. Steve pointed out, "He's different now. What's gotten into you?"

Loki laughed lightly, "What's gotten _out_ of me should be the question. With the power of the staff, I've been under this other being's influence. When Lilly and I launched each other, it knocked me out of it." He bit his tongue and grimaced at what he was going to say next. The regret finally bubbled up to the surface. "I was foolish to believe he'd let me make my own decisions. It was my choice to rule the world, but everything else? The hiding? The sloppy murders? I'm better than that."

Steve, Tony, Logan, and Storm edged a little closer to him. Loki stared out at where Ira's body lay. He clenched his hand into a fist and licked his teeth when he looked back at us. "I let him have the Tesseract before I left Asgard. I could have easily saved it for myself. Now, he's going to kill you all with that power."

I nearly yelled, "Who?" I was done playing his games. I needed to know. We _all_ needed to know without him droning on and on.

Loki yearned to snap at me, but held himself back. He stayed composed. "Who else? The puppet master. He's used us this whole time. Used me…we are all pawns and we've fallen into his trap. He wanted this to happen. To pin us against each other to see what we were like. Our tactics. Everything. See who would come out standing. And that got Ira killed…"

Everyone glanced at each other warily. Logan kept his eyes on me, watchful and calm. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but maybe it was better that way. He replied to Loki, "You're not making any sense. Who are you talking about? Who's the puppet master?"

Loki was about ready to blow at the seams just thinking about the man. How easily he fell prey to his beliefs. They wanted the same thing, but Loki didn't know what he was fully getting into. He didn't know the true power of the scepter. "His name i-" A katana wedged itself right between Loki's lower ribcage. He gasped and fell to the ground once it was removed. Deadpool came into view, nodding and almost patting himself on the back for his deed.

All of us screamed out simultaneously in panic and anger, "Wade!"

Deadpool looked at us in surprise. He pointed at Loki, then back at himself, and then repeated the action once more. "Oh, was I not supposed to…? Well shit." He peered down at the villain for a moment, and shrugged a few seconds after. "Who's hungry?"

Storm knelt down and felt for a pulse. "He's alive, but barely…"

Steve stayed quiet for a second, lost in thought. Results and solutions ran through his mind. Keep him alive? Send him back to Thor? Put him on trial on Earth for his deeds? Most people would want his execution. There had to be something… "Keep him alive. We're sending him back to Thor."

I scoffed and walked away. I couldn't handle saving the man who had done so much damage. If he was going to die, then let him. Let him rot. I listened as Steve called for Heimdall, and glanced back to see him, Tony, and Storm get taken by the portal. Logan started to head in my direction, so I waited for him. If I went across the empty battlefield alone, I wouldn't be able to get to the end without breaking.


	24. Chapter 24

"Clint Barton, a man of many skills…" I trailed off and my chest constricted with each breath. I never thought I would be at his funeral so soon. We all were ready to die in that fight, but I didn't think about the pain that came with it. My nose was numb at this point from the cold snow as it fell from the sky. I bundled up in my jacket even more and a chill ran down my spine. My vision blurred over as tears formed in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away to regain my composure. I forced myself not to break in front of everyone. They didn't need to witness that.

I continued my speech, "The first time I met him, I thought his outfit was a cliché dark knight look. I made fun of him in my head, but never took into account that he might  become one of my closest friends." One corner of my lips twitched up into a slight smile at the memory. "He hugged me for the first time after I spilled some of my personal details. He tried to tell me that he had gone through a similar scenario and that everything would be okay. He told me to _Learn how to let it go_. Those are wise words, but I can't let him go. He'll always be in my heart."

My breath hitched and I suddenly choked on my next words, "Clint wouldn't want us to be sad, but we can't help it. We lost someone very dear to us and…" A rogue tear fell from my eye and I wiped it away. "I wish I could bring him back…" My face contorted as I choked on a sob in order to keep it at bay. "He was a damn good spy. A hero. An Avenger. All in all, he was _family_ , and we will never forget him."

Steve and Tony got a little teary eyed. They refused to look at the casket and looked down at the grass or up in the sky. Their shattered expressions pained me to look at. It appeared to be they were falling apart on the inside, just as the rest of us were. Banner didn't want to be near the casket and stood idly in the back, still as a statue. His glasses were foggy from crying, but he didn't move or look at anyone. I patted Peter on the back gently as he made his way to where I was. I moved to the side where the rest of them were and stood next to Steve, who grabbed my hand gently.

Peter trudged up to the casket, standing north of it so he could face everyone. The tears that had fallen from his puffy red eyes dried up on his flushed cheeks and his lips twitched into a frown. He ran his hands through his tangled brown hair in frustration. Peter flexed his jaw and tried to find his voice to speak. "Clint Barton is…" Peter paused, biting his lip in pain, " _was_ one of my closest friends. We were lazy together, shared jokes, made puns, and split a whole pizza from time-to-time."

He cracked a small, broken grin and looked at each of us one-by-one. He set his hand gently on the casket. "I watched a show recently, and one of the characters named Church gave an amazing speech. _There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day. And because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero…never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith._ "

Peter continued, "This speech really stood out to me. Clint…never got to see the outcome of his sacrifice. He never got to celebrate with us. He never had that celebratory pizza or crazy amounts of coffee that I promised him. He never really got to say goodbye." He sighed heavily and wiped away the fresh tears from his eyes. His lip began to quiver and he clenched his jaw to stop. "He meant a lot to us. He was the best dang dead shot I've ever seen. He let me tell corny puns and joked around with me. He was one of my best friends. I could go on and on about our beloved Hawkeye, but Natasha needs to say a few words. I'll let her have the stage now."

Peter walked over next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. I set my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. At this point, I couldn't breathe. The pressure in my system was too much. With every second, I came closer to a mental breakdown.

Natasha walked through the snow to Clint's casket. She wanted to put her hand on it, but retracted her hand and stuffed it back in her coat pocket. Her face was empty of emotion. Her shattered heart caused her to choke for a second, but she cleared her throat and started her eulogy, "Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. That's one of the many things I loved about him. He would always go into battle, scared out of his wits on the inside, but on the outside, he was as courageous as ever. Never even shown an ounce of doubt or fright. In my eyes, he will always be the greatest archer, the silliest man, and the most romantic guy anyone could ever meet."

She looked down at her arrow necklace and rubbed one of her fingers across the shiny, cold, gold metal. "Before he brought me into S.H.I.E.L.D., he said, _Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers or skills they are graced with. I can see the potential in you, Natasha. The want. The need to be good. I believe you can be a hero._ " She stopped for a moment, stared off into the distance, and took in a breath. Holding her composure must've been killing her, but she held herself in tact. "That was the nicest and most inspiring thing anyone had said to me in years. Hawkeye is the reason why I'm an Avenger today. He changed my life so much…it's so hard to comprehend that he's gone."

Her eyes flickered down, but then flickered back up in anger. Her eyebrows furrowed quickly, and she stated, "I'm not going to let him go unavenged. I loved this man to _death_. He deserves _nothing_ less than that." She ended her eulogy abruptly and moved on to our next activity.

All of the remaining Avengers grabbed bows from the grass next to us. Natasha grabbed Hawkeye's quiver and admired it for a second. She ran her fingers up the side until she took hold of the arrows. She pulled them out and handed each of us a set of three. She took the last three out and set the quiver down gently. Natasha took a deep breath and studied the arrows with sad green eyes. Her expression didn't change, but her eyes said otherwise. At last, she nodded to us, and we pulled the string back, one arrow locked in place. At first, it was difficult to get the string back, but eventually, we managed to scrape our hands and pull it back.

The workers lowered Clint's casket slowly. We all let go simultaneously, allowing the arrows to launch into the sky and explode when the internal timer went off. The second time we did it, the arrows got a little higher before exploding like fireworks. We did this one more time as a soldier's tribute to him. He deserved it, and nothing less.

 

Steve drove me to Xavier's School for the Gifted for the other burial ceremony. He stayed for support, but lingered behind the students from the school who were grieving for Scott, Bobby, and Jake. I moved to stand between Logan and Kitty. Kitty looked down the whole time, tears streaming down her cheeks as she sniffled every now and then. Logan stared straight ahead, almost in a daze. I watched as the Professor took the stage in front of everyone.

Xavier bit the inside of his cheek to keep his composure and made eye contact with some of the students. He kept his head held up high and his expression frozen to ensure he wouldn't show any of the students his grief. He started off by saying, "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness. That is life. What happened here is a tragedy." He exhaled softly and continued, "Our family died as heroes. They fought to protect us, to protect the world. That is the X-Men's sole mission in life. They have made the world a better place, a more peaceful world for you students to grow up in…"

I stumbled off into my own thoughts as Xavier went on. Logan rested his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in closer for a side hug. He began to tear up, guilt and loss easily readable from his features. He felt the same way I did a few minutes ago.

At this point, I was numb.

A part of me died with them. I felt guilty for not having someone watch Jake at school to make sure he didn't leave. I knew he wanted to join the fight. I should've taken more precautions. I knew and didn't do anything about it. I let a child die. I couldn't help him. My mission in life was to save as many people as I could, and I couldn't save him.

We've avenged the lost lives in Chicago. We've saved the world. Thousands of lives were now out of the line of fire, yet we couldn't save the few right in front of us. They were lost soldiers in a grand battle. They signed up for it, but I couldn't help but feel guilt for it.

One of the people that raised me…Scott…he's dead now. I grew up with Bobby. He was one of my best friends. And Clint…I had too many words to say about him. He was a great archer and a friend. How could I just…let them down? This wasn't all my fault, but I wished I could change everything. Change it back to the old days back in the tower when Clint and I used to fight over the couch. Or earlier in life when Bobby and I would compete in making the most abstract ice pieces ever. Or when Scott would hang out with Jean and I and cracked jokes all day. I want all of that back. If only I could turn the clock back…

I came back to reality and saw Xavier leave the area. Even he looked overwhelmed with pain and grief. I couldn't imagine how he felt, since he could feel everyone's pain and thoughts. That must've been horrible, especially at a time like this. He didn't break character once while making his speech. He wanted to stay strong for us. That was something I really admired about him. Everyone left in a big herd behind Xavier, heading back to the school for some sleep and grieving time.

The early February breeze brushed through my uncovered black hair and made my eyes sting. Snow descended from the sky at a slow pace and blanketed the land. The snow mimicked the way my heart shattered and rained from the sky, slow and dreadful. The surrounding area became eerily quiet since everyone had left, which was unfortunate. The world had to bear with me as I finally snapped.

I collapsed onto Kitty and let her catch me. My emotions busted through the wall I held up for so long, oozing out of my aching heart. Tears flowed out of my eyes and soaked into her shirt. I shut my eyes tightly and just let out a scream into Kit's shoulder. It wasn't a scream of fear or anger. Just pain. What I was feeling…it was the worst pain imaginable. Loss. Grief.

Defeat.

Imaginary knives stabbed me in the chest over and over, making me cry out in agony even more. They were gone. Nothing was going to bring them back. I destroyed a part of Kitty's world, along with my own. I hurt her…I hurt everyone. My anger, my grief, and look what happened. My friends, my family…they _died_. A couple of villains fled the scene, and here I was putting my family into the ground. I couldn't apologize enough to Kit. I never will. Apologizing would never be enough to stitch this wound back together.

Kit and I fell to our knees, the soft snow melting into our clothing. I squeezed her in my embrace and tried not to tug on her hair. "I'm so sorry, Kit. I'm so sorry…" I bawled. Repeating those words wasn't going to do anything, but just saying it out loud felt right.

"It's not your fault, Lilly. The situation was out of our hands…" She sniffled at first, but then began to let the floodgates open. Her tears stained my shirt and her fingers sunk into my back, holding me closer than ever. Her sobs grew louder and louder, almost coming close to the volume of mine.

We stood over the graves of our friends, weeping for our loss.


	25. Chapter 25

I sidled up against the wall once I heard Natasha talking out loud. She hadn't talked since the battle, and all of us were worried. The team took a hit with Clint's death, but it hit her the most. Clint Barton was her boyfriend. Her lover. The man who changed her life for the better.

And now he was gone.

She stopped talking and clicked a few buttons on her cell phone. The speaker was on, and a familiar voice filled her room.

"…No matter what happens Nat, I will always be there for you. Saving you that fateful day I was sent to kill you was the best thing I've ever done. I-" A loud noise erupted from the speaker and Clint grunted for a second. "Damn it. Stupid Table." Natasha laughed quietly through her pain. "Anyway, I had a whole speech planned, but these voicemails never last long. I just can't wait to settle down with you in a quiet, peaceful place. We'll start looking for one when we get back. I love you, Natasha."

The voicemail ended and she sobbed, "I love you, Hawkeye. I love you. I love you, you ridiculously clumsy man. I have never loved myself, but you, oh God…I love you so much that I forgot what hating myself was like." She sniffled and wiped her swollen eyes. Her thumb slid over to the end call button, but she hesitated as her hand shook. The phone automatically went to the next voicemail.

"Hey, Nat. I found the perfect apartment for us! It's right around the corner from an awesome pizza place. You know how much I love pizza. And there's a balcony and a big bedroom. They even allow dogs! We have to get it. I put a payment down for it already. I mean…I had to sell the farm. You didn't really like it there much anyway. But selling it will be worth it once we're together and settled in. The keys are on the dresser. Once the war is over, we are taking a _long_ vacation together. I love you, Nat."

She pushed the end call button hard, and froze when she saw her phone's wallpaper. Her heart ached remembering where that picture was from.

Budapest.

Her hair was longer and curlier back then, falling down passed her shoulders and hitting the middle of her back. Her eyes had closed as Clint's hand caressed her cheek to keep whoever they were running from from noticing her. Clint's hair used to be blonde at that time, and as the years passed, his hair darkened to brown. His other arm wrapped around Natasha's waist to pull her closer, closing the gap they once had. She remembered she felt so surprised that he would do such a thing, but he said public displays of affection made people uncomfortable, so she went with it.

This was it. Their first kiss.

Clint had argued with Director Fury to get a picture from the camera view from the bank of the event just so he could have it for memories. Later on, Clint and Natasha got together, making the picture more sentimental. Her finger slid over the small picture of his face and yearned to feel the touch of his lips against hers. A silence kicked in and Natasha set her phone down. She wiped her eyes once more and stated, "I know you're there, Lilly."

 _Damn…_ I thought and hung my head for a second. I walked into her room and stopped when I saw the flashing white light. My heart skipped a beat and the pain only intensified. Jarvis had installed a system for Clint while we were away to let him know when someone came into the room. That way, when he had his hearing aids out, he would know when someone walked in. I glanced around the room to get my mind off of what just happened.

Some lamps and photos lay on the floor. A chair was flipped over and clothes were strewn about. The gray walls reflected her feelings of gloom and despair, and mixes of water and other drinks stained the light brown carpeting. Natasha's blonde hair wrapped up into a tangled mess and her usual bright green eyes were now dull and blood shot. Her makeup smeared and followed the path of her tears down her cheeks.

I opened my arms and hugged her. I brushed my fingers through her messy short hair to comfort her. She loved it when I played with her hair. "It's okay. It'll be okay." I felt like such a hypocrite for telling her that when I was convincing myself that everything _wasn't_ okay. I needed to tell her otherwise and help her get through this, even if it meant putting myself last.

Nat rested her head on my shoulder and shook with each sob. She was warm and soaked in tears. "It's only been a few days, but it still feels like he's still here. With me. Saying my name. Next to me at night. Commenting on something I'm doing…I can still smell the coffee he makes and the liquid he uses to clean his equipment."

Natasha sniffled and exhaled. Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat to fix it. "I can try to forgive myself for not having his back…but no matter what I do, it will always be there in the back of my mind. He will always be here. Haunting me. Keeping me awake. I haven't slept in days."

I pulled back and looked her straight in the eye. She was so distraught and broken. I knew how she felt. Everything hurts and slowly goes numb. It's mainly going through a cycle of pain, grief, and then guilt. "Don't do this to yourself. It's torture. That's not the way he'd want you to live."

She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and bowed her head. She blinked back the fresh water in her eyes and huffed. "I'm so weak…so vulnerable, all because of…" Natasha trailed off and moved her lips, but nothing came out. She started tapping her fingers on her leg out of nervousness. "I can't even say his name." She looked up to keep back the tears and bit her lip to stop the pain in her heart from forming words of sorrow.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Amelia yelled as her feet pitter pattered against the tiled floor. She ran passed Nat's bedroom and then jolted back after she saw us. She jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly, her little hands holding on for dear life.

I embraced her and put my hand on her head. "Amelia! I've missed you so much…" _Mommy? She's become more attached to me than I had thought._ My heart melted and I completely forgot about my sorrows for a few seconds. Adopting her would be one of the best days of my life.

Steve walked through the door, his face looking a little exhausted. I made a mental note to ask him about that later. He put his hands on his hips and made an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. She was so excited to see you."

Amelia managed to get out of my grasp and attacked Natasha. "Auntie Nat!" She shrieked happily.

Natasha nestled her close and whispered, "Hey, kiddo." Natasha inhaled the sweet scent of Amelia's fruity shampoo and ran her fingers over her soft tan skin. She shut her eyes tightly and enjoyed the moment, even through her pain.

Amelia kissed her cheek and backed up. Her brown eyes shimmered in the light and her short black hair fell around her face. She looked around and scrunched her face up. "Where's Uncle Clint?"

Steve moved to take her out of the room and I agreed. "I'll be out in a few minutes." Now was the time to console Nat. As much as I wanted to hold Amelia and never let go, Natasha was more important.

Steve picked her up carefully and spun her around to face him. "Here comes the tickle monster!" He tickled her stomach and she went into a giggle fit. He took her from the room and left us alone to talk.

Natasha looked down, a little happy that she had Amelia back in her life, but it wasn't enough. Nothing would ever be enough anymore. Her voice was low and gravelly, "All it took was one man to make me change into someone I could be proud of, and now he's gone."

I set my hand on top of hers. "I know we can't bring him back…but we're here for you Nat. I promise we'll be here for as long as you need us. After all, we are a team, right?"

One corner of her lips lifted a bit and she looked up at me. A sense of familiarity took over her features, almost as if she were in a daze. "He said we were more than that. We're family." She leaned on my shoulder and nuzzled up against me. I put my arms around her and just held her there, letting the silence take over and leaving us to our thoughts.

What a wild adventure. Just under two years ago, I reunited with my cousin, Peter Parker. That changed my life for the better. Little did I know, I was going to get sucked into the Avengers team faster than Peter could swing across town. Not everyone liked me at first, but they warmed up to me. The hardest part wasn't gaining their friendship. It was gaining their trust. I've gained so much out of this. My cousin. Trust. Amelia. A great, stable relationship with Captain America. Family.

And even after everything we've been through, our links haven't broken. We didn't hate each other or give up on one another. Our bonds only became stronger. This adventure changed us.

We weren't afraid to die, but we were afraid of not being able to save others. The guilt, the sadness, the blame, we took it all in. We had to. We were strong. We had to bear the burden for everyone, because if not, then who would? It was a call to action that made us lose soldiers in the end. People died. Families tore apart. People mourned.

We couldn't save everyone.

That's how it'll always be because it's the cold truth the world tries to hide. But there is one thing we would _always_ do no matter what.

We would avenge the fallen.


End file.
